Author: George Bell

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2018-07-08

Total Pages: 80

ISBN-13: 9781722638726

Notes and Queries, Number 185, May 14, 1853 A Medium of Inter-communication for Literary Men, Artists, Antiquaries, Genealogists, etc. George Bell ENGLISH BOOKS OF EMBLEMS. It is a remarkable circumstance that whilst the emblems of Alciatus Vent through almost innumerable editions, and were translated into most of the continental languages, no version of these Emblems should ever have been printed in this country, although we believe that MS. translations of them are in existence. It is remarkable also that more than half century should have elapsed after their appearance, before any English publication on this subject should have been committed to the press. Our English authors of Books of Emblems were not only late in their appearance, but are few in number, and in their embellishments not very original, the plates being for the most part mere copies of those already published abroad by Herman Hugo, Rollenhagius, and others. The notices of the English writers on this entertaining subject are also but meagre and imperfect, and restricted to a very few works; both Dibdin, in his slight and rapid sketch on Books of Emblems in the Bibliogr. Decam., vol. i. p. 254., and the writer in the Retrosp. Rev., vol. ix. p. 123., having confined their remarks to some one or two of the leading writers only, Arwaker, Peacham, Quarles, Whitney, and Wither. With the exception of an occasional article in the Bibl. Ang. Poet., Cens. Liter. Restituta, and similar bibliographical volumes, we are not aware that any other notice has been taken of this particular branch of our literature, nor does there exist, that we know of, any complete, separate, and distinct catalogue of such works. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.