EDMONDSON (Joseph):

An Historical and Genealogical Account of the Noble Family of Greville, to the time of Francis, the present Earl Brooke, and Earl of Warwick Including the History and Asuccession of the Several Earls of Warwick since the Norman Conquest; and Some Account of Warwick Castle.

London, Printed MDCCLXVI 1766 FIRST EDITION. Tall 8vo, 245 x 152 mms., ,pp. [ii], 108, engraved frontispiece, engraved title-page, 9 engraved plates (5 folding), engraved vignettes within text, uncut, later boards (soiled), crudely rebacked with cloth. The herald and coach-painter Josph Edmondson (bap. 1732, d. 1786) started his working life as barber, but made a transition to a painter of arms on coaches, which possibly led to his interest in heraldry; he painted Queen Charlotte's coach some time before 1763. Having accumulated some capital, "he bought the great manuscript collection of peers' pedigrees known as the Baronagium genealogicum, very probably compiled by Simon Segar, great-grandson of Sir William Segar, Garter king of arms. His proposal to update and publish this work engendered the rivalry of the heralds at the College of Arms, who resolved to produce their own peerage genealogies. Their attempt fell through and in 1764 Edmondson began the publication of his Baronagium. It was originally published in numbers, and when completed sold for 25 guineas. It was followed by a sixth volume of subsequent creations. It brought him to the attention of the nobility, many of whom asked him to compile or revise their pedigrees.... In 1764 Edmondson also published his small tract Tables of Precedency, and in 1766 his Historical and Genealogical Account of the Noble Family of Greville, dedicated to Francis Greville, earl of Warwick, appeared. It was followed ten years later by his Companion to the Peerage of Great Britain and Ireland. In 1780 he produced his most famous work, A Complete Body of Heraldry, in two volumes..." (Oxford DNB).

John Price Antiquarian BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 10308

Catalogue: Genealogy

Keywords: genealogy family history prose

HUME (David), of Godscroft:

The History of the House and Race of Douglas and Angus.

London: Printed for Mortimer and M'Leod, Aberdeen, 1820. Tall 8vo, 208 x 123 mms., pp. xxiv, 321 [322 [blank], contemporary half plum calf, marbled boards, red morocco label; slight rubbed of joints and extremities, but a very good copy. THe poet and political theorist David David, of Godscroft (1558–1629 - 1631) was keen to promote the union of England and Scotland and was a prolific author, or at least would-be, as many of his manuscripts were privately circulated but not printed in his lifetime. This was true of the present work. Its unfashionable political stance was not to the liking of politicians and aristocrats more power than he was. After his death, his daughter published a truncated edition in 1633, with a fuller, if incomplete edition, in 1644. A more reliable edition appeared in 1743, followed by other editions, the fourth in 1748. This edition has only the history of the house of Douglas. There is no indication from the publishers as to choice of copy-text and the work is curiously uncommon. I located copies in NLS, Edinburgh University Library, London library in Copac; New South Wales, Guelph.

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Book number: 9330

Catalogue: Genealogy

Keywords: genealogy family history prose

ZITA OF BOURBON-PARMA, EMPRESS OF AUSTRIA.

Typescript Genealogy. The typed text is presented by a typed half-title, De Stirpe Regis, and an inscription opposite a collotype of a French King, and "J. E. Bulloz/ Editeur" ink stamp on verso and text "Les PARENT de CURZON s'honorent de remonter aux fondateurs de la Monarchie Francaise, a CHARLEMAGNE et a Saint LOUIS...." There are 46 leaves of typed text, and 20 leaves with hand-coloured coats of arms on the verso of the leaf preceding the text. The text can be dated to January, 1938, or slightly earlier, by the inclusion of a typescript letter from Steen[n]ockerzeel (Belgium), addressed to "Bien chère Comtesse," and continuing, Sa Majesté l'Impératrice et Reine Zita a été si touché de votre aimable pensée qu'Elle me charge de vous remercier bind sincèment, vous ainsi que le Comte de Curzon, pour l'expression renouvlé de votre sympathie la Famille Impériale et sourtout poour les priers...." At the foot of the letter is the closing note, "Par ordre de Sa Majesté L' l'Impératrice et Reine Zita.

1938. A remboitage binding, measuring 297 x 172 mms., very much in the style of binding executed by Nicolas Denis Derome (1731 – 1788), and not dissimilar to some of the bindings in the collection bequeathed by Clayton Mordaunt Cracherode (1730 – 1799) to the British Museum. The green morocco binding displays the central oval emblem of a unicorn surrounded by vine leaves, with ornaments of doves and bat wings among the tools in the ornate gilt border, with top edge gilt, with title of typescript in gilt on spine; slight wear to corners but a very attractive example of a facsimile of a Derome binding, executed in 1890 and similar or identical to those found in copies of the Anglo Saxon Review for 1899. The typed text is preceded by a typed half-title, De Stirpe Regis, and an inscription opposite a collotype of a French King, and "J. E. Bulloz/ Editeur" ink stamp on verso and text "Les PARENT de CURZON s'honorent de remonter aux fondateurs de la Monarchie Francaise, a CHARLEMAGNE et a Saint LOUIS...." There are 46 leaves of typed text, and 20 leaves with hand-coloured coats of arms on the verso of the leaf preceding the text. The text can be dated to January, 1938, or slightly earlier, by the inclusion of a typescript letter from Steen[n]ockerzeel (Belgium), addressed to "Bien chère Comtesse," and continuing, Sa Majesté l'Impératrice et Reine Zita a été si touché de votre aimable pensée qu'Elle me charge de vous remercier bind sincèment, vous ainsi que le Comte de Curzon, pour l'expression renouvlé de votre sympathie la Famille Impériale et sourtout poour les priers...." At the foot of the letter is the closing note, "Par ordre de Sa Majesté L' l'Impératrice et Reine Zita.

John Price Antiquarian BooksProfessional seller

Book number: 9059

Catalogue: Genealogy

Keywords: genealogy biography prose