1694 · London
by Moreri
London: Henry Rhodes, 1694. Moréri, Louis (1643-80). The great historical, geographical and poetical dictionary; being a curious miscellany of sacred and prophane history . . . 2 vols. [1246]pp., unnumbered. London: Printed for Henry Rhodes . . . Luke Meredith . . . John Harris . . . and Thomas Newborough, 1694. 390 x 238 mm. Paneled calf in antique style, gilt spines with leather labels. Minor foxing and toning but very good. Early owner's name ("Devereux Edgar") on the front flyleaves of both volumes. Bookplates. First Edition in English of Moréri's Le grand dictionnaire historique (1674), described in Printing and the Mind of Man as one of "the first vernacular encyclopedias to make an impact on the European world of letters . . . noteworthy for its emphasis on historical and biographical entries which for a long time were neglected by other compilers such as Bayle, Harris, and Chambers" (PMM 155). Moréri's work went through twenty editions before being supplanted in the mid-eighteenth century by Diderot and d'Alembert's Encyclopédie. The first English edition, translated from the sixth French edition, incorporates additional material "by several learned men" on "the lives, most remarkable actions, and writing of the illustrious families of our English, Scotch and Irish nobility, gentry, eminent clergy, and most famous men of all arts and sciences" (title-page), together with previously unpublished material by the English writer Edmond Bohun (1644/5 - 1699), originally intended for his Geographical Dictionary (1688). Wing M2725. . 4500.
(Inventory #: 42100)