Month: November 2015

January 2, 2012

PRINTED 1584: WILLIAM PARRY – THE REMARKABLE DOCTOR AND DOUBLE-AGENT

THE MYSTERIOUS PLOT TO ASSASSINATE QUEEN ELIZABETH

EXTREMELY RARE WITH THE ADDITIONAL 7 PAGE “PRAYER FOR ALL KINGS”

WONDERFUL PROVENANCE: THE FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE “BROXBOURNE COPY”

The Book:

A true and plaine declaration of the horrible treasons, practised by William Parry the traitor, against the Queenes Maiestie. The maner ofhis arraignment, conuiction and execution, together with the copies ofsundry letters of his and others, tending to diuers purposes, for theproofes of his treasons. Also an addition not impertinent thereunto,conteyning a short collection of his birth, education and course oflife. Moreouer, a fewe obseruations gathered of his owne wordes andwritings, for the farther manifestation of his most disloyall,deuilish and desperate purpose. At London : by C. B[arker]., [1585]Signatures: A-H⁴.Description:  53, 7 pg. ; small 4to.  with the veryrare addendum, likely issued as a separate imprint, even though thesignatures are continuous: “A prayer for all kings, princes countreyesand people” (caption title).  New STC 19342.  FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE. Morocco and cloth boards, a WIDE-MARGINED copy approx. 17.5 x 11.5 cm,,  some browning,most notable light marginal color discoloration of the first few leaves due to some very old expert repairs, a few marginal notes lightly shaved.Provenance: The Famous Broxbourne copy with ex-libris and Broxbourniana plate of John Ehrman  and  Albert Ehrman monogram; Sotheby’s, Nov 15, 1977, lot 300. Catalogue of valuable printed Books from the Broxbourne Library illustrating the Spread of Printing. The Property of John Ehrman The four-day sale realised an astonishing total of £1,297,000.  See another copy as well for comparison in 1978 with small textual variants: Sotheby’s,Nov 13, 1978, lot 198, $490  [SOLD]
“William Parry (or Parrie) (died 2 March 1585) was a Welsh doctor who considered assassinating Elizabeth I of England.In the household of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke until the Earl’s death in 1570, Parry then entered the Queen’s service. He appears to have involved himself in financial difficulties, and sought a commission from Lord Burghley to spy on Catholics on the Continent of Europe, with the idea of escaping his creditors. After two trips abroad, he assaulted one of his creditors in 1580 and was sentenced to death, but received a royal pardon. On a third trip abroad in 1582, he appears to have become a double agent, going over to the Catholic side and considering Elizabeth’s assassination. But on his return in 1584, he disclosed his dealings to the Queen, claiming to have done so only to cover Protestant plots. She pardoned and pensioned him, and rewarded him with a seat in Parliament for Queenborough. However, Parry was still unable to pay off his debts, and attempted to manufacture another plot to be “discovered”. His co-conspirator was John Somerville. He approached Sir Edmund Neville and suggested to him that they should ride up and shoot the Queen in her coach, or kill her during a private audience. According to some accounts, Parry did attempt to carry out the assassination, but lost his courage before he could do the deed. However, it is unclear whether he genuinely intended to kill the Queen, or to raise his own standing by “exposing” Neville. Examined by Sir Francis Walsingham, Parry confessed to plotting the murder, and was hanged, drawn and quartered at Westminster on 2 March 1585″ [Wikipedia]

posted in: Rare Books

January 2, 2012

ONE OF THE 17th CENTURIES MOST POETIC AND ELOQUENT GUIDES TO COURTLY BEHAVIOR

The Book:

[A.D.B.] The court of the most illustrious and most magnificent James, the first; king of Great-Britaine, France, and Ireland: & c.
London, Printed by E. Griffin, 1619.”The epistle dedicatory” signed: A.D.B Presents “certaine rules and precepts of a courtly and politicall life.” cf. “The epistle to the reader.” Small 4to., [14], 168 p. 19 cm. Light browning to t.p., but overall a handsome and attractive copy; mid-20th century 3/4 red morocco and raised bands with the small ownership stamp (likely his private collection) of the well known bookseller Horace G. Commin of Bournemouth. This copy purchased for $400 + $28 tax in 1981 from Hamill Barker. Extremely Rare FIRST EDITION; no copy of the 1619 First Edition appears in the auction records since 1946 when Sotheby’s sold a copy as part of the “CATALOGUE OF THE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE LIBRARY The Property of the Rt. Honble. Lord Cunliffe”; possibly this copy before rebinding. STC references only the 1620 2nd ed.; 1022. See also : Davis Bergeron’s King James and Letters of Homoerotic Desire pg. 111. [SOLD]

Bibliographically rare and historically important, this tract or “very rare article” according to Brydges’ Censura Literaria of 1807 is an “excellent little treatise, although addressed to the courtiers of James the First, is well worthy the perusal of those belonging to George III. It is. inscribed to “George Marquisse Buckingham, Vicount Villiers, &.c. &c.” the well known favourite of James I. And the dedication is signed with the initials A. D. B.” The mysterious initialed author describes the King’s final male favorite, George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, as “most resplendently glister and shine, like a most pretious Jewell richly garnished in the purest gold” ( pg. 2 ) The principal object of the author appears to have been to warn the courtier “to bee most wary and heedfull that out of himselfe hee draw a rule to rectifie and govern his owne life, that hee be content to taste the sower with the sweete, and in court to expect as well burthen-some blame and injurie as beautiful fame and dignity.” This is followed by admonitions to “get wisdome as his best guide…let him not by any meanes omit or neglect the studio of law, languages, and eloquence and let him especially, bend his best endevours to attaint unto the prompt, perfect, and most commendable knowledge of histories, and antiquities, to which, indeed I cannot sufficiently move and admonish him: for, this knowledge is the testis of the times, the light of truth, the life of memorie, the mistresse of life, and the messenger of antiquitie”

posted in: Rare Books

January 2, 2012

1589: EXCEEDING RARE FIRST EDITION of the earliest known treatise on fortification in English

 

1589: EXCEEDING RARE FIRST EDITION of the earliest known treatise on fortification and military engineering  in English.

A spy under the famous Elizabethan spymaster Francis Walsingham
A key scientific source for Marlowe’s Famous Tamburlaine- a milestone of Elizabethan drama

No complete copies with the 2 rare fold out plates present in 50+ years of auction records

The Book:

Fortification–Ive, Paul (d. 1604) The practise of fortification: wherein is shewed the manner of fortifying in all sorts of scituations, with the considerations to be used in delining, and making of royal frontiers, skonces, and renforcing of ould walled townes. Imprinted at London, By T. Orwin, for T. Man, and T. Cooke, 1589. BOUND WITH… [Fortification–Ive, Paul (d. 1604) ; Fourquevaux, Raimond de Beccarie de Pavie, baron de, 1509-1574.]  Instructions for the warres. Amply, learnedly, and politiquely, discoursing the method of militarie discipline. Originally written in French by that rare and worthy generall, Monsieur William de Bellay, Lord of Langey, Knight of the order of Fraunce, and the Kings lieutenant in Thurin. Translated by Paule Iue, Gent. At London : Printed [by Thomas Orwin], for Thomas Man, and Tobie Cooke, 1589. (Notes: Not in fact by Du Bellay, but by Raimond de Beccarie de Pavie, baron de Fourquevaux.)    Small 4to., 19 cm x 13.5 cm.   [4], 40 p., [2] folded woodcut plates,  [20], 312:  Signatures: 2A-2D⁴ 2F⁴ 2G² //  A-B⁴ b² C (wanting C1-2) -X⁸ Y⁴ .  Note: 2 pages of text lacking in the second work; C1-2.  Early calf, partly restored.  The extremely rare fold out plates are present as depicted.  These plates are perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book and the most technically accomplished by the inconsistent standards of Elizabethan printing.   Internally, occasional minor dampstaining, generally good.   No complete copies with the 2 rare fold out plates present in 50+ years of auction records; only the Macclesfield sale had a sammelband copy of the 2nd ed  L: Felix Kingston for Toby Cooke, 1597  (See; Sotheby’s, Oct 30, 2007, lot 3492, $8,320)  Provenance: Lord Fitzwilliam, Baron of Milton in the County of Northampton. This family claim descent from William the Conqueror. [SOLD]
This extremely rare Elizabethan treatise combines the practical engineering knowledge gained in the campaigns in the Low Countries with the modern fortification techniques pioneered by the great Italians, most notably Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Macchiavelli.   Ive likely worked as a spy for the famous Elizabethan spymaster Francis Walsingham, the Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590. As an interesting aside, it is recorded that when Ive died in Ireland in 1604 he requested that his body be buried at Castle Park “so deep that the wolves and dogs do not scrape it up again.”

The Practise of Fortification also has great literary importance; Christopher Marlowe’s Tamburlaine, which was a milestone in Elizabethan drama and one of the first popular successes of the London stage, contains passages, some taken verbatim, from Ive’s Fortification (likely having seen a copy a manuscript prepared for publication in Walsingham’s care).  As a specific example, Tamburlaine’s speech instructing his sons in the art of war in Act III, Scene 2 appears to be directly lifted from Ive’s work.  The passages underscore Elizabethan perceptions and fears  of Turkish military strength and strategy.


posted in: Rare Books

January 2, 2012

STOW’S CHRONICLE WAS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ELIZABETHAN SOURCE BOOKS

A FOLIO EDITION OF JOHN STOW’S CHRONICLE

The Book:

John Stow; (edited and continued by) Edmund Howes . Annales, or, A generall chronicle of England. Begun by John Stow: continued and augmented with matters forraigne and domestique, ancient and moderne, unto the end of this present yeere, 1631. Londini, Impensis Richardi Meighen, 1631. FOLIO. COMPLETE. [xx], 1116 p. 32 cm. 18th Century Calf and Gilt, some soiling, corner wear spine relaid, minor marginal loss to t.p. withs some creasing, upper right marginal dampstain, some occasional minor worming. Provenance: Ex-libris Herbert Watney (1843–1932) of Buckhold, Pangbourne, Berkshire (now St. Andrew’s School) [SOLD]

This is Howe’s continuation of Stow’s famous Elizabethan Chronicle. It was issued in several editions, starting in 1610, each adding to the previous to keep it up-to-date. Howe evidently labored five years on its preparation, compiling important source material firsthand including a list of all the principle fairs held throughout England and Wales (appended). This edition is of particular interest to Shakespeare scholars as it recounts the burning of the famous Globe Theatre in 1613, noted for its performances by Shakespeare and his associates. Additionally, it provides important Shakespearean literary references and background information.
This particular additional continues up to the year 1631, including many new references. The work is considered as well to be European Americana, for it contains references to the voyages of Frobisher’s (1576, 1577 and 1578), Francis Drake (1580), and Thomas Cavendish (1586). It also includes a description of the English settlements in North America (1615), including Roanoke.

posted in: Uncategorized

January 2, 2012

STUNNING 17th CENTURY ENGLISH RED GOATSKIN BINDING

 

PRINTED 1657: THE RARE Grand Cabinet-Counsels Unlocked

The Book:

[Marguerite, Queen consort of Henry IV King of France] The grand cabinet-counsels unlocked. Or The most faithful transaction of the court-affairs, and growth and continuation of the civil wars in France, betwixt the Huguenots and the papists, during the raign of Charls the Last, Henry the Third, and Henry the Fourth, commonly called Henry the Great. London : Printed by R.H., 1657. 4 p. l., 229 p. ; 16 cm. Very attractive full gilt contemporary red goatskin binding with acorns and numerous other decorative elements. Light worming in the upper left of last few leaves. Provenance: Grinke & Rogers, Cat 3, Item 255 $192 (c. 1974) The Rare English translation by the prolific author Robert Codrington (1602-1665) of the scandalous Memorials of Margaret de Valois. Besides court gossip, it is an important historical work at a critical juncture in the French Wars of Religion. Marguerite was married (August, 1572) at age twenty to her cousin, the young Huguenot King of Navarre, also of the same age. In these Memoirs, the ceremony is described along with her hopes that it will usher in a reign of peace and toleration. Sadly their marriage, the pairing of a Protestant to a Catholic, witnessed the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre a mere six days later. [SOLD]

posted in: Rare Books