Catalogue 2018-19

Adopt a Book Catalogue 2018-19

Adopt a Book Catalogue 2018

Contents

No. Author Title Year Adoption price Page

1. John Shute Barrington Theological Works 1828 £105 1

2. Census of England and Wales, 1911: County of Durham 1914 £120 3. Denis Diderot Encyclopediè 1751 – 1772 £120 / £240 2 4. Paul Ludwig Sachs Monocerologia, seu de genuinis unicornibus 1676 £155 5. Torquato Tasso Gierusalemme liberata, Poema Heroico 1595 £160 3 6. Book of Common Prayer … together with the Psalter or Psalms of David 1848 £165 7. Edward Wells An Historical Geography of the Old Testament 1711 £170 4 8. Charles Cotton Scarronides or Virgil Travestie: A Mock Poem 1807 £170 9. Joannes Asser Annales rerum gestarum Aelfredi Magni 1722 £170 5 10. Thomas Bewick A General History of Quadrupeds 1800 £170 11. Cornelius Tacitus and The modern courtier, or the morals of Tacitus upon flattery 1687 £175 6 Amelot de la Houssaye 12. B.R. Esq. [Robert Hegge] The Legend of St. Cuthbert with the Antiquities of the Church of Durham 1663 £185 13. Book of Common Prayer for the Scottish church 1637 £185 7 14. William Sancroft Modern Policies Taken from Machiavel, Borgia, and other choice authors, by an Eye-Witnesse 1654 £185 15. William Toldervy Select Epitaphs 1755 £185 8 16. William Greenwood Bouleuterion, or A practical demonstration of county judicatures 1659 £185 17. Pomponius Mela De situ orbis 1719 £190 9 18. Pieter Schrijver Respublica Romana [Elsevier Republics] 17th century £190 10 19. Denis Petau Rationarium Temporum 1652 £190 20. Dante Alighieri La Divina Commedia [The Divine Comedy] 1757 £190 11 21. Joseph White Aegyptiaca: or, Observations on Certain Antiquities of Egypt 1801 £190 22. William Hogarth The Analysis of Beauty 1753 £190 12 23. Raphael Holinshed Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland 1808 £190 24. Joseph Ames Typographical Antiquities: Being an Historical Account of Printing in England 1749 £195 13 25. A collection of cheap repositories 1790s £195 14 26. William Shakespeare The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare, collated and edited by Edmond Malone 1790 £200 27. William Gilpin Observations Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty … on Several Parts of Great Britain, Particularly 1792 £200 15 the Highlands of Scotland 28. George Dyer History of the University and Colleges of Cambridge 1814 £200

29. Abstract of the Answers and Returns… [Results of the 1811 Census] 1811 £205 16 30. Thomas Sprat The history of the Royal Society of London 1667 £205 31. John Bunyan A disclosure upon the Pharisee and the publicane 1685 £205 17 32. Christopher Smart Poems Upon Several Occasions 1752 £205 33. Athanasius Kircher Mundus subterraneous 1665 £210 18 34. Henry Purcell The Vocal and Instrumental Musick of the Prophetess, or the History of Dioclesian 1691 £210 35. Francis Beaumont and Fifty Comedies and Tragedies 1679 £210 19 John Fletcher 36. John Weemse The Works of John Weemse 1633 £210 20 37. Thomas de Vio Cardinal Cajetanus 1639 £215 38. Journals of the House of Lords 1767 – 1847 £220 21 39. William Hamper The Life, Diary and Correspondence of Sir William Dugdale 1827 £220 40. William Godwin The Life of Geoffrey Chaucer, the Early English Poet 1803 £220 22 41. John Britton The Fine Arts of the English School 1812 £220 23 42. John Bunyan The Barren Fig-Tree: or, the Doom and Downfall of the Fruitless Professor 1762 £225 43. Henricus Goltzius Ovidii Metamorphoses 1600s £225 24 44. Colin MacLaurin An account of Sir Isaac Newton’s philosophical discoveries 1775 £230 45. Robert Plot The Natural History of Oxfordshire 1677 £230 25 46. Nehemiah Grew Musaeum Regalis Societatis. Or a catalogue & description of the natural and artificial rarities belonging 1681 £240 to the Royal Society : and preserved at Gresham Colledge 47. John Dryden The Fables of John Dryden, ornamented with engravings from the pencil of Lady Diana Beauclerc 1797 £240 26 48. The knightly tale of Golagrus and Gawane and other ancient poems 1827 £240 27 49. John Macpherson Critical Dissertations on the Origins, Antiquities, Language … of the ancient Caledonians 1768 £250 50. Thomas Stanley The History of Philosophy 1701 £250 28 51. Walter Raleigh The History of the World, in Five Books 1677 £250 29 52. Society for the Abolition Papers from the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade 1787 £255 of the Slave Trade 53. The Holy Bible, embellished by the most eminent British Artists [the ‘Macklin’ Bible] 1824 £255 30 54. Anton Büsching A New System of Geography 1762 £265 55. John Baptist Jackson Titiani Vecellii Pauli Caliarii Robusti et Jacobi de Ponte opera selectiora 1745 £275 31 56. Diurnall occurrences, or Heads of proceedings of both Houses of Parliament; London, 29th November – 1642 £285 32 6th December 1641 57. Johann Georg Graevius Thesaurus Antiquitatum Romanarum 1694-99 £285 58. A forme of common prayer 1636 £295 59. Statute: An additional act for the better observation of the Lord’s Day 1650 £310 33 60. Adrian Reland Antiquitates sacrae veterum hebraeorum 1709 £320 61. Special forms of prayer 1605 £320 34 62. Robert Harris A sermon preached to the House of Commons 1642 £320 63. A series of magnificent engravings to illustrate the various folio or quarto editions of the works of 1818 £320 35 Shakespeare and Milton 64. George Staunton An authentic account of an embassy from the King of Great Britain [George III] to the Emperor of China 1797 £320 [Ch’ien Lung] 65. John Carter Durham Cathedral 1801 £325 36 66. The Geneva Bible 1577 £335 67. Catalogus librorum impressorum Bibliothecae Bodleiane in academia Oxoniensi 1843 £335 37 68. John Nichols Collection of the wills of the Kings and Queens of England 1780 £345 69. Johannes Blaeu Theatrum Orbis Terrarum sive Novus Atlas 1648-55 £350 38 70. Thomas Manton A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes, on the Epistle of James 1651 £355 71. Lawrence Giustiniani Opera Omnia 1606 £365 39 72. Robert Smith A Compleat System of Opticks 1738 £460 73. History of Newcastle miscellany 18-19thC £470 40 74. George Frideric Handel Messiah: An Oratorio in Score c.1800 £495 75. Jan Jansson Novus Atlas 1646-1650 £580 41 76. Archimedes Works 1615 £675 42

1. John Shute Barrington, Theological Works; London, 1828 – Q.X.62-64

The Barrington who authored this work is not the Shute Barrington who would serve as Bishop of Durham over a thirty five year period (who also published extensively on matters theological), but rather his father, John Shute Barrington, the 1st Viscount Barrington, a “politician and Christian apologist”. Barrington began publishing his theological works anonymously in 1701, with the publication of his essay concerning England and its Protestant dissidents; later editing this and publishing it under his own name, he followed it with works on The rights of Protestant dissenters and later, A dissuasive from Jacobitism. He came to the attention of George I after speaking out vocally against the dangers of popery and the Young Pretender, and the new king greeted Barrington on his first day in London.

This three volume collection of his theological works was the first extensive collection published – nearly one hundred years after his death, by George Townsend. Its boards have become worn and loose; it requires rebacking in leather, repair to the damaged boards, and the remounting of the original title piece.

One volume adopted £100 per volume

2. Census of England and Wales, 1911: County of Durham; London, 1914 – F.IVA.49

The first modern census took place in 1841, and has been taking place – with few exceptions – every ten years since. The 1911 census, therefore, was the eighth of its kind. This volume is a summary of the results for the County of Durham: “area, families or separate occupiers and population … Population classified by ages, condition as to marriage, occupations, tenements, birthplaces and infirmities”. While it doesn’t document each individual person registered as living in Durham at the time – though that information is now available online, the results of a census made publicly accessible 100 years after their collection – it does allow a vital glimpse into the make-up of the county of Durham immediately prior to the First World War. It even sets out in one table the number of persons “enumerated in workhouse establishments … asylums, prisons, hospitals, certified reformatory and industrial schools … and in certified Inebriate Reformatories and Retreats”. The 1911 census was also the first to record how long a couple had been married, and how many children they had had in total.

It is likely that not all of the information in this census document is as accurate as others had been. The Women’s Freedom League, a suffragette movement, organised a boycott of the census in 1911: women were encouraged to

1 stay over at friend’s houses, or go to all-night parties, in order to avoid the census as a protest at women not being allowed to vote.

It is hoped to bind this volume in cloth (rather than leaving it unbound in paper, as at present), and to repair and sew any damaged pages. £120

3. Diderot, Encyclopediè; Paris, 1751-1772 – Q.VIA.1-28

One of the key texts of the Enlightenment, Diderot’s Encyclopediè was published in 28 volumes (17 of them text) over a period of twenty-one years (1751-1772) and featured the work of over one hundred contributors, including the great Enlightenment thinkers Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu.

It was a hugely ambitious project: the first modern encyclopaedia, the aim of which was to draw together the sum of man’s learning up to that point. Knowledge was broken down into three ‘branches’ on ‘The Tree of Knowledge’: Memory/History; Reason/Philosophy; and Imagination/Poetry. For the first time, knowledge and understanding was seen as coming from man and not from God – something which provoked great controversy at the time, and even led to the removal of the Royal License from the Encyclopediè.

All twenty-eight first edition volumes are held by Durham Cathedral Library; four have been adopted, but twenty- four are still requiring conservation work. Thanks to a generous donation from a supporter of the Adopt a Book programme passionate about the restoration of these important texts, eight volumes of the Encyclopediè can be adopted for half of the cost of restoration, priced at £240. Twelve volumes adopted Eight volumes available at £120 Sixteen volumes £240

4. Paul Ludwig Sachs, Monocerologia, seu de genuinis unicornibus; 1676 – H.IV.66

In publishing Monocerologia, Renaissance physician Paul Ludwig Sachs was trying to promote the idea that the narwhal was the true, living embodiment of the legendary unicorn. His argument was based around the principle that the narwhal’s tusk was not a tusk at all, but the horn of legend. Furthermore, this theory was backed up by several prominent physicians of the day, all of whom used narwhal ‘horn’ in their practices.

The idea of the narwhal as a relation of the unicorn (or the very embodiment of it) was not new; since the Middle Ages, when sailors had first spotted the tusks of narwhals in Arctic waters, rumours had abounded that the unicorn

2 had been discovered. Some theories said that the unicorn had taken refuge in the sea and become water-dwelling; others viewed the existence of the narwhal as an opportunity to find proof of the unicorn living on land. Narwhal tusks would sell for exorbitant sums; Queen Elizabeth I was herself gifted the tusk of one such ‘sea unicorn’ by an explorer visiting her court.

This edition of Monocerologia has a damaged binding, and has sustained some damage to the foldout woodcuts of bones and the narwhal’s tusk used to illustrate its theories. £155

5. Torquato Tasso, Gierusalemme liberata, Poema Heroico; Venice, 1595 – O.VB.18

Inspired by the epic works of Virgil or Homer, Gierusalemme liberata, or Jerusalem delivered by Torquato Tasso depicts a largely mythical First Crusade where Catholic knights battle Muslims in order to seize (“deliver”) Jerusalem. Although loosely based around real events, a number of contemporary critics condemned Tasso’s inclusion of magical happenings and fantasy elements; nevertheless, it was exceptionally popular at the time of its publication and for a number of centuries afterwards – particularly amongst a populace who saw reflected in this poem concerns about the growing power and influence of the Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe.

Tasso’s first attempt to write an epic account inspired by the Crusades came when he was a mere fifteen years old; his realisation that he may not yet have the technical ability to do credit to such a subject made him delay the work for over a decade. Although eventually completed around 1575, Gierusalemme liberata was not published until 1581 – by which time Tasso had been admitted to a hospital suffering from what would now be recognised as mental illness (perhaps bipolar disorder). He died in 1595.

Printed only fourteen years after the poem’s initial publication, this version of Gierusalemme liberata was published in Venice and bound in full leather. It requires some repair to its boards, and rebacking in leather. £160

6. Book of Common Prayer … together with the Psalter or Psalms of David; Oxford, 1848 – H.IIIB.48

This delicate, 19th century edition of the Book of Common Prayer was produced by SPCK – the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge: the oldest Anglican mission organisation in the world, and still the world’s leading publisher of Christian literature. Founded in March 1698, the founders made it their aim to “communicate the Christian faith to a wide audience through education and the provision of Christian resources”. Now the third oldest publishing house in England, over the past three hundred years, SPCK have been responsible for the translation of the Book of Common

Prayer into over 200 languages, the establishment of the first printing presses in India, the publication of the first books printed in Braille, and the establishment of the first British schools for poor children (both boys and girls).

This volume was originally gifted to one Robert Clarke, as a “Reward of Merit” in 1849 – possibly through Bishopsgate Street Boys’ School in York. It contains not only the usual text of the Book of Common Prayer and administration of the sacraments, but also the psalter, and “the form and manner of making, ordaining and consecrating of bishops, priests and deacons”. It is bound in full leather – though its boards have become detached and both the boards and spine are now worn. It is hoped to re-back it in leather and fully repair the original boards. ADOPTED £165

7. Edward Wells, An Historical Geography of the Old Testament; London, 1711 – E.IVB.64

Edward Wells’ An Historical Geography of the Old Testament is described on its title page as “a geographical and historical account of the several Places, Countries, or People mentioned in the Book of Genesis” and attempts to shine a light on, amongst others, the exact location of the Garden of Eden; the structure and manufacture of Noah’s Ark; the original plantations established after the Flood; and the travels of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob throughout the Holy Land. A number of maps and diagrams dotted throughout the volume help further illuminate Wells’ points: he locates the Garden of Eden directly north of the Persian Gulf; Mount Ararat – where the Ark rested – is located in Armenia (incorrectly bordered by Syria); while a cross-section of the Ark is used to demonstrate how all of the animals (including the unicorn) would have fit.

A prolific writer of theological texts, Edward Wells was something of a polymath, with interests in mathematics and geography as well as theology; he was able to combine these interests when he first produced this volume in the early 18th century. It followed his Historical Geography of the New Testament, which had been printed three years earlier, in 1708.

Like a considerable number of books held by Durham Cathedral Library, this book originally belonged to John Bowes, and was donated as part of a large set. It has previously been re-backed, though the boards have again become loose and worn. It is necessary to re-back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original spine. ADOPTED £170

8. Charles Cotton, Scarronides or Virgil Travestie: A Mock Poem; 1807 – H.IIIB.46

Scarronides or Virgil Travestie is a 17th century burlesque, or parody, of the first and fourth books of Virgil’s Aeneid produced by English poet, writer and angler Charles Cotton. Cotton’s reputation as a writer of burlesque material, combined with the fact his most famous published work was The Complete Gamester (a work considered the

‘standard’ English-language volume on how to play a number of games, including billiards, dice, horse-racing and cock-fighting), had led many to dismiss his literary abilities; however, he was hailed as a significant talent by both Wordsworth and Coleridge, who praised the “purity and unaffectedness of his style”. Scarronides was Cotton’s first attempt at burlesque, and was much-imitated during his lifetime.

This edition of Scarronides was printed in Durham in the early 19th century, and compares, through its notes, with former editions of the work – which was still proving popular a century and a half later. The binding of this small volume is now almost completely loose, and the spine significantly eroded. It was donated to the collections of Durham Cathedral Library in the 1960s, by the widow of H.S. Harrison. £170

9. Joannes Asser, Annales rerum gestarum Aelfredi Magni; 1722 – H.IIIC.10

This Latin account of the life of Alfred the Great is based on the biography produced by the Welsh monk Joannes Asser: later Bishop of Sherborne, Asser was a contemporary of Alfred and was asked by the king to attend his court, as one of the learned men Alfred was gathering around him. Much of what is known of the life of Alfred the Great comes from Asser’s 893 biography, and has helped ensure that he is better known and better recognised than any other early English ruler; it survived to the modern era in a single complete manuscript, held at the Cotton Library (the basis of the British Library) but was destroyed by fire in 1731 – though fortunately, not before it had been copied and referenced enough to preserve at least the text for posterity.

It is thought that Asser may have been one of the scholars who assisted Alfred’s translation of Gregory the Great’s Pastoral Care, and possibly his account of Boethius too. This 18th century version of Asser’s Life of Alfred was printed at Oxford – more specifically, at Trinity College, which began its existence as Durham College – Durham Cathedral’s pre-Reformation cell for monks who left Durham to study at Oxford. Its binding is starting to come loose, and its spine is in need of repair. ADOPTED £170

10. Thomas Bewick, A General History of Quadrupeds; Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 1800 – H.X.22

Born at Cherryburn in Northumberland in 1753, the artist and engraver Thomas Bewick was apprenticed at the age of fourteen to Newcastle engraver Ralph Beilby after demonstrating an interest in both nature and drawing from a young age. After acquiring basic skills in engraving by first working with the hard elements of silver and copper, Bewick realised that if he carved in hard woods, against the grain, he could create fine detail and improve the quality of repeated printings. He cut his own blocks from his own drawings.

When Bewick and Beilby first printed A General History of Quadrupeds in 1790, it was intended for children; however, its success amongst an adult readership helped pave the way for Bewick’s next venture – the phenomenally successful A History of British Birds. Eventually published in 1797, A History of British Birds has never been out of print since, and helped to inspire, amongst others, Beatrix Potter, and the American ornithologist John James Audubon.

This early 19th century edition of A History of Quadrupeds has been bound in full leather. Its spine is detached, and its boards have become loose and worn. It is hoped that, through the Adopt-a-Book project, the volume can be rebacked in leather, the boards repaired, and the original spine remounted. ADOPTED £170

11. Cornelius Tacitus and Amelot de la Houssaye; The modern courtier, or the morals of Tacitus upon flattery; London, 1687 – I.III.6

In The modern courtier, French writer and former Bastille prisoner Abraham Nicolas Amelot de la Houssaye set out to paraphrase and expand upon Cornelius Tacitus’ Roman work warning of the dangers of flattery. In the original work, Tacitus warned that only weak and evil Princes would act to surround themselves by flatterers; and that flattery itself was often a front for contempt. A Prince who surrounded himself by flatterers, he warned, would find he was a subject of hatred long before he was respected or beloved.

This volume, published in de la Houssaye’s lifetime, was originally bound in full leather and requires rebacking. Its boards, which have become detached and worn, also require repair. £175

12. B.R. Esq [Robert Hegge], The Legend of St. Cuthbert with the Antiquities of the Church of Durham; London, 1663 – E.IB.76

A native of Durham, Robert Hegge’s The Legend of St Cuthbert was originally published in 1626, but came to prominence again in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries after several reprints. This is a later 17th century edition of the work – dating from 1663.

Hegge was developing a promising career as a writer and antiquary when he died unexpectedly at the age of thirty in 1629; a contemporary at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, described him as “considering his age, the best in the university for the Mathematical faculty, History, and Antiquities”. Saint Cuthbert; or the history of his churches at Lindisfarne, Cuncacestre and Dunholme (as this was originally titled) was to be his third publication at the time of

6 his death. Instead, it was published by Richard Baddeley (the ‘B.R. Esq.’ of the title page), the private secretary to the Bishop of Durham, under the title The Legend of St Cuthbert – and did not name Hegge as the author.

This tiny volume was originally bound in full leather, and has boards that have become worn and fully detached. Durham Cathedral’s Adopt-a-Book conservator hopes to re-back it in leather, and repair its original boards. ADOPTED £185

13. Book of Common Prayer for the Scottish church; Edinburgh, 1637 – E.III.58

This is the first edition of Archbishop Laud's issue of the Book of Common Prayer, and the volume whose introduction into the Scottish church started a chain of events which changed the face of England during the 17th century.

William Laud, Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Charles I, attempted to impose liturgical uniformity by force. His revision of the Book of Common Prayer for the Scottish church was part of this drive. Bitterly resented by the Presbyterian congregation, it led to rioting in the Kirk of St Giles, and in 1638 the National Covenant (which vowed to protect the ‘true religion’ from perceived threatening innovations such as this) was signed in reply. It was, amongst other matters, Charles’s need for resources to confront the rebellion of the Covenanters successfully that forced him to recall Parliament for the first time in eleven years; once called, however, Parliament refused to consider his requests for money until their grievances were heard. It was Charles's mishandling of Parliament from this point on that ensured the outbreak of war. Laud was eventually beheaded by the Parliamentarians in 1645.

Bound in full leather, this 17th century volume still has its original boards – though they have become loose and worn. It is hoped to re-back it in leather, and repair the boards. ADOPTED £185

14. William Sancroft, Modern Policies Taken from Machiavel, Borgia, and other choice authors, by an Eye- Witnesse; London, 1654 – H.IVA.16

Although not named as the author on the title page, this work of political philosophy was written by Archbishop of Canterbury William Sancroft. One of the seven bishops who would later be imprisoned for opposing King James II’s Declaration of Indulgence (an act which sought to establish the beginnings of freedom of religion in the British Isles – prompted largely by the King’s own Catholicism), Sancroft wrote this work while abroad – having fled in 1649, he remained oversees until after the Restoration in 1660. The suggestions he puts forward in this work are indeed Machiavellian, and include “The politician must have the shadow of religion, but the substance hurts”; “If the Supremacy be invaded, the lapses of the former magistrate must be inculcated with the greatest advantage, and what

7 is wanting in reality, must be supplied in calumny”; and “If the politician find reason to impose oaths, let them be of such ambiguity as may furnish with a sense obliging to the design, and yet so soft as the people may not feel the snare”.

This volume was originally bound in full leather – though its boards have now become worn, and fully detached. It is hoped that, through the Adopt-a-Book programme, the volume can be rebacked in leather, have its boards repaired, and have its original spine remounted. £185

15. William Toldervy; Select Epitaphs; London, 1755 – N.VIII.73-74

This two-volume collection of epitaphs – collected by William Toldervy and perhaps in part translated by his friend, the poet Christopher Smart – was originally bound in full leather, but now has boards that have become detached and worn, and a spine which is worn and split. It is hoped to re-bind it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original spine if possible.

Toldervy’s work is exactly as promised – a collection of epitaphs of prominent people buried throughout Britain’s churches, cathedrals and prominent chapels. Monarchs including Elizabeth I, Henry VII and King Alfred and saints such as Alban and Augustine share pages with writers including William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer, composers such as Orlando Gibbons, and more controversial figures including Oliver Cromwell and Walter Raleigh. A number of the epitaphs were themselves written by prominent figures, including Ben Jonson and Andrew Marvell.

Toldervy is known for writing three books – of which this was the first published; he was a close friend and a key defender of the poet Christopher Smart, particularly during Smart’s incarceration in an asylum, and it is thought that Smart may have assisted his friend with some of the translations in Select Epitaphs.

The frontispiece to this volume, which depicts Death, armed with an arrow (symbolic of martyrdom and mortality) and an hourglass, was produced by the English engraver and printmaker Louis-Philippe Boitard. Both of the books in this two-volume set require conservation work, and are therefore available for adoption. £185

16. William Greenwood, Bouleuterion, or A practical demonstration of county judicatures; 1659 – Q.IX.52

This 17th century legal tract set down, for the first time, the expectations, duties and role of the coroner, and served to act as a handbook or step by step guide for anyone finding themselves in such a role for the first time. Greenwood’s examples are thorough and wide-ranging, including broad issues such as “an Inquisition of Murder” or an “Appeal of Mayhem”, through to far more specific incidences, such as “An Inquisition for Man-slaughter, where one was

Starved, and perished for want of sustenance” or “Inquisition where one is slain by misfortune by a Cart laden with Hay”. Greenwood’s step by step outline of the procedure from summons, to jury selection, to returning a verdict, is simple and easy to understand for even those with basic literacy, and would have been used to model documents and scripts.

The office of coroner in England dates from the 11th century and the Norman Conquest; the role was formally established in 1194, where its purpose was to “keep the pleas of the Crown” – protect the financial interests of the Crown during any criminal proceedings. A number of manuals were written for coroners, sheriffs, bailiffs and justices of the peace during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries – of which Greenwood’s was the best known.

This is another volume donated to the Cathedral Library by the estate of William Waples of Sunderland during the 1960s. It has sustained some damage to its pages – missing some, including its title page – and binding. £185

17. Pomponius Mela, De situ orbis; London, 1719 – F.IV.8

Viewed as the earliest Roman geographer, little is known of the life of Pomponius Mela; De Situ Orbis, however, the most famous of his works, is the only formal treatise on this subject in Classical Latin, and is still in print – the most recent English translation produced as recently as 1998.

Mela’s version of the geography of the world was most probably derived from accounts produced by navigators: using a descriptive method, he traces oceans along their coasts. His theories mainly correspond to those produced by his Greek contemporaries including Strabo and Eratosthenes: although his knowledge of the Indian sub-continent appears to be inferior to that of his Greek counterparts, his knowledge of Western Europe seems to be more developed. He was the first person to name and correctly locate the Orcades (or Orkney Islands), and he identifies a great bay (‘Codanus sinus’) to the north of Germany, among whose islands included ‘Cadonovia’ – a Latin rendering of the Germanic term ‘Scandinavia’.

This edition of Mela, printed in London and written in Latin, includes a series of maps relating to the areas Mela is describing. It has been part of the collections of Durham Cathedral Library since 1719. £190

18. Pieter Schrijver, Respublica Romana [Elsevier Republics]; Leiden, 1629 – I.V.7

The Elseviers were a Dutch family of printers, publishers and booksellers who flourished in Holland for over one hundred years from around 1585 until 1712. Attractive, well made and inexpensive, their Republics were produced between 1626 and 1649 and gained immediate popularity. Each small volume in the series was devoted to the history, economy and geography of a particular country in Africa, Asia, Europe or the Near East. These books may be considered the precursors of modern day travel guides, and offer a unique perspective on the world as it appeared to 17th century Europeans.

This delicate set is bound in full vellum, and the spine on some has become torn. Of the four volumes held by Durham Cathedral Library, however, only one requires significant conservation work, and is therefore adoptable through the Adopt-a-Book project. It is hoped to re-back it in vellum, and remount its original spine. £190

19. Denis Petau, Rationarium Temporum; 1652 – I.V.54

Also known as Dionysius Petavius, Denis Petau was a French Jesuit theologian and scholar; he wrote on a vast array of subjects including not only theology, but also history, politics, philosophy and chronology. This volume was an abridged version of his most famous work on chronology, Opus de Doctrina Temporum, first printed in 1627.

An inscription in a 17th century hand at the front of this volume suggests that it previously belonged to William Pell – an English nonconformist minister who had been a tutor at the short-lived Durham College (established late in the life of Oliver Cromwell, Durham College collapsed at the Reformation before it could be formally designated a university) and later jailed for illegal preaching. Pell was rector at both Easington and Great Stainton in County Durham, and in the late 17th century, moved to become the assistant of prominent nonconformist minister and physician Richard Gilpin. Pell left no publications of his own, but left unfinished collections which demonstrate his interest in orientalism and rabbinical studies.

The boards on this delicate volume have now become fully detached at both the front and the back of the book; the spine is also starting to become loose. £190

20. Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia [The Divine Comedy]; Venice, 1757 – L.III.36

One of the most famous works of literature in existence, Dante Alighieri produced La Divina Commedia (translated into English as the Divine Comedy) over a twelve year period in the early 14th century – completing it only a year before his death in 1321. The vision of the afterlife presented by Dante as he travels through Hell, Purgatory and eventually Heaven (Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso) represented the medieval world view as it had developed in the Western Church, and drew heavily upon medieval theological works including Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologica. Dante’s journey is an allegory – representing the journey of the soul towards God.

This edition of Dante’s Divine Comedy was produced in Venice in the mid-18th century, under the patronage of Elisabetta Petrowna – Elizabeth of Russia, Empress of Russia from 1741 until her death in 1761. An elaborate frontispiece to the volume depicts Elizabeth holding a jewelled orb and facing a sonnet in Italian that has been composed for her. The volume is illustrated throughout – at the beginning of each canto – with engravings by Cristoforo Zapata de Cisneros.

A handsome volume bound in full leather, its boards have become detached and worn. It is hoped to re-back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original spine. ADOPTED £190

21. Joseph White; Aegyptiaca: or, Observations on Certain Antiquities of Egypt; Oxford, 1801 – M.II.29

This early 19th century volume on Egyptology was written by Joseph White – most renowned as an orientalist and a theologian, White was the son of a weaver and rose to the positions of Laudian Professor of Arabic and Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford through his education in a Gloucester charity school and with the support of a generous patron. Although something of a departure for White (he was most acclaimed for his Philoxenian edition of the New Testament – Philoxenus of Mabbug having been one of the most notable Syriac writers of the 6th century), this volume appeared to be well-received: a review in the Gentleman’s Magazine for 1801 described White as “the first Arabic scholar in Britain, if not in the world, who unites the strongest powers of argument with almost unrivalled eloquence of diction”.

The study of Egyptology (the study of Ancient Egyptian language, society, culture, literature, architecture, religion and art from around the 5th millennium BC until around the 4th century AD) was something which had existed since the Graeco-Roman period, and throughout the Middle Ages; the era in which White published this work, however, had recently witnessed the invasion of Egypt by Napoleon – leading to an increase in interest and awareness of the field as an academic subject.

This volume appears to be in very poor condition, and is likely to require a full resewing, rebacking in cloth, and repair to the boards. £190

22. William Hogarth; The Analysis of Beauty; London, 1753 – M.IV.66

This first edition of William Hogarth’s The Analysis of Beauty has boards which have become loose and worn. Bound in full leather, it requires re-backing in leather and the remounting of the original spine.

This volume was Hogarth’s attempt, as its title suggests, to define beauty – which, he argued, consisted of six principles working in partnership: fitness (not in itself a source of beauty, but the absence of which would make beauty impossible); variety (as a lack of variety would “offend the senses”); regularity; simplicity; intricacy; and quantity. Hogarth was particularly taken with the idea of the ‘Line of Beauty’ – an S-shaped curve which evoked liveliness and movement, and would attract the attention of the viewer.

Hogarth was most acclaimed for his work in a series of pictures, almost comic-book or storyboard style, which he referred to as “modern moral subjects”. One of the best known of these is The Rake’s Progress, a series of eight paintings that tell the story of the rake, Tom, inheriting a fortune, abandoning his pregnant fiancée and squandering his money; after a failed marriage to an older, wealthy woman, he ends his days in London’s famous Bethlem Hospital. The most significant British artist of his generation, Hogarth’s works were exceptionally popular and were mass- produced as prints; satirical political illustrations in a similar style were often referred to as ‘Hogarthian’. ADOPTED £190

23. Holinshed’s Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland; London, 1808 – N.IX.6

Said to have substantially influenced the works of William Shakespeare – and in particular his play Macbeth – Holinshed’s Chronicles was first published in two volumes in the second half of the 16th century. A collaborative effort, it was originally proposed by the London printer Reyner Wolfe to be a “Universal Cosmography of the whole world … with also certain particular histories of every known nation” from Noah’s Flood to the present day. After Wolfe’s death in 1573, the project was taken over by three members of the London Stationers, who changed its aim to the more achievable – though still significant – history of the British Isles instead.

A significant and impressive example of Tudor historiography, the Chronicles were produced by a number of authors with contrasting views and religious leanings, and included both militant and moderate Protestants, and open and crypto-Catholics amongst its authors. The diverse leanings and beliefs of its writers is reflected in the multi-vocal view

12 of British history that was subsequently presented. Little is known of Raphael Holinshed, whose name has become attached to the work; it is likely that he worked as a translator for Wolfe before starting work on the Chronicles.

This early 19th century edition is one of a six-volume set of Holinshed’s Chronicles, only one of which is available for adoption through the Adopt-a-Book scheme. This volume – which needs to be rebacked in leather, have its boards repaired and its original spine remounted – is volume 5, which tells the story of the history of Scotland, and includes the inspiration for Macbeth (including the “creatures of the elderwood … nymphs or fairies” which became the Three Witches, and the characters of both Banquo and Fleance). ADOPTED £190

24. Joseph Ames, Typographical Antiquities: Being an Historical Account of Printing in England; London, 1749 – C.V.39c

Typographical Antiquities is the most famous work by English bibliographer and antiquary Joseph Ames: though educated no further than grammar school, Ames was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquities in 1736, and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1743 – primarily due to the valuable collection of rare books and antiquities that he had managed to amass, and the research he subsequently undertook on them.

Ames was a controversial figure amongst literacy circles in his lifetime; his appointment as a Fellow of the Royal Society in particular provoked a strong reaction, one member accusing him of being “an arrant blunderer”, and suggesting that the works he published were not even his own. He was also accused of damaging books by tearing out their title pages; it is thought that one of those defaced by Ames was the British Library copy of William Tyndale’s 1526 New Testament, one of only two complete copies ever known.

The research for Typographical Antiquities relied heavily on the libraries of Ames’ prominent friends, including Lord Orford, Sir Hans Sloane, and others. It features not only bibliographical information of prominent printers in England between 1471 and 1600 – including the father of English printing, William Caxton, and his assistant and successor Wynkyn de Worde – but also lists of books they printed, the printer’s marks they used, and paper marks which might help identify the books as having been printed by them. The title page itself displays “a collection of old English printers marks; rebuses; devices etc.” including those of royal printer Christopher Barker, Richard Pynson, and Caxton himself. £195

25. A collection of cheap repositories; London, 1790s – Q.IX.51

The Cheap Repository Tracts were a series of over two hundred concise tales with a moral, religious, or occasionally political bent issued in a number of volumes between 1795 and around 1817, and in various collected editions thereafter. The idea of English religious writer and philanthropist Hannah More, they were intended for the poor illiterate, as an alternative to what she saw as the ‘immoral’ chapbooks of the day. They proved to be highly popular, and over two million copies were sold and distributed within the first year of the scheme.

This volume of cheap repositories is part of the Hazard-Marshall series, printed between May 1795 and January 1796. Its tales are typical of the repositories in general, which would usually depict a single, central character – usually poor – undergoing some kind of trial, and either responding well and being rewarded for that, or responding badly, and dying repenting. Therefore, in The Two Soldiers, where the figures of Good and Evil are personified in the personalities of the two protagonists, the ‘Evil’ character repents and turns to God after committing highway robbery and serving a jail sentence; likewise, The Lancashire Collier Girl manages to care for both herself and her disabled mother through her work and, when she falls ill, is ‘rewarded’ with a ‘relatively easy’ post as a servant, so she can continue providing for her mother. Like many of the chapbooks in the collections of Durham Cathedral Library, this was donated to the library in the 1960s by the estate of William Waples. Many of its pages are loose, and it requires rebinding. £195

26. William Shakespeare, The Plays and Poems of William Shakespeare, collated and edited by Edmond Malone; London, 1790 – D.VIB.8-18 This late-18th century edition of the works of Shakespeare – published in eleven volumes – was collated and edited over a seven year period by the Irish Shakespeare scholar Edmond Malone. Alongside Shakespeare’s plays and poems, Malone’s edition also includes a biography of the playwright, essays about the stage during the 16th and 17th centuries, and a printed copy of Shakespeare’s will.

Malone’s first work as a Shakespeare scholar and editor arose when he was invited by George Steevens – a prominent and well-known editor of Shakespeare – to collaborate on an edition of Shakespeare’s collected works. Malone’s key contribution – the essay An Attempt to Ascertain the Order in Which the Plays Attributed to Shakespeare Were Written – was exceptionally well-received, and is generally accepted amongst Shakespeare scholars to be accurate. It was also useful in helping to piece together, for the first time, a broad biography of Shakespeare himself.

Of this eleven volume set, four need conservation work. The volumes are bound in full leather, with boards which have become detached and worn. It is hoped to re-back them in leather, repair the boards, and remount the original spines if possible. One volume adopted £200 14

27. William Gilpin, Observations Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty … on Several Parts of Great Britain, Particularly the Highlands of Scotland; London, 1792 – D.VIB.36

Brother of the famous artist Sawrey Gilpin, William Gilpin was a priest, an author, a schoolmaster, an amateur artist – and one of the originators of the concept of the ‘picturesque’. First articulated in his 1768 work Essays on Prints, Gilpin initially defined the picturesque as “that kind of beauty which is agreeable in a picture”; he later developed this idea further, and framed it in relationship to the aesthetic ideals of the beautiful and the sublime. The beautiful was harmonic and classical; the sublime was grandiose and terrifying. The picturesque, meanwhile, showed what could exist between those two opposing “rationally idealised states”.

Perhaps prompted by his upbringing in Cumbria, Gilpin had an appreciation for wild, rugged scenery – such as that depicted in this volume. He argued passionately that an exploration of rural Britain could more than compete with the typical ‘Grand Tour’ of the continent undertaken by wealthy young men: this suggestion came at exactly the right time, as travel restrictions in mainland Europe led to an explosion in the popularity of domestic tourism in the late 18th century.

This volume is bound in full leather, and its boards have become detached and worn. It is hoped to re-back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original spine if it can be salvaged. £200

28. George Dyer, History of the University and Colleges of Cambridge; London, 1814 – Q.IIIB.3

This charming volume is not only an account of the history of the colleges making up the University of Cambridge, but also some of its abundant success stories through the centuries: the literature the university’s alumni have produced (most significantly in the fields of the sciences and theology); biographical accounts of some of its most famous former students (including Sir Isaac Newton, William Harvey and Francis Bacon); and even lists of public walks and public buildings, with descriptions and accounts of how they fit into the history of the university as a whole.

Better known as a poet and editor, its author George Dyer was something of a radical, and a major influence on Romantic poets including Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth in the manner in which he “brought politics to bear on the poetry of nature and imagination”. He argued strongly that men of his class had a moral obligation to help the poor, and counted William Godwin – whose work also features in the Adopt-a-Book catalogue – amongst those that he significantly helped influence. Something of an eccentric, his editorial endeavours when working on the Delphin Classics, a series of 143 volumes in Latin, were so intense that he was left almost completely blind as a result.

This volume was originally bound in full leather, and now has boards which have become detached and worn. It is hoped to re-back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original spine. £200

29. Abstract of the Answers and Returns… [Results of the 1811 Census]; London, 1812 – F.IVA.41

While the census undertaken in Britain in 1841 is typically considered the first modern UK census, for forty years before that – in 1801, 1811, 1821 and 1831 – less detailed censuses had been undertaken. Purely headcounts, with no individual information, these information-gathering exercises had been championed by the statistician John Rickman for a number of reasons: primarily, though, to ascertain the number of men available to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, as, he felt, “the number of men who were required for conscription to the militia in different areas should reflect the area’s population”.

With only basic information being collated, the summary for the entire county of Durham takes up only ten pages of this volume: it details 177,625 persons living in Durham at the time (83,671 men; 93,954 women). Of these individuals, over 27,000 were employed in agriculture or manufacturing; almost 40,000 families shared over 30,000 homes. The area classed as the ‘College’ (the buildings immediately behind Durham Cathedral, where the Dean and Chapter typically live), recorded 103 people living there – 33 men and 70 women in 18 houses.

This volume was printed especially to be housed amongst the collections at Durham Cathedral Library. Bound in full reverse leather, its boards have become loose and worn. It is hoped to re-back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount the original title piece. £205

30. Thomas Sprat, The history of the Royal Society of London; London, 1667 – H.III.11

The oldest scientific institution in the world, the Royal Society was officially founded in 1660, by a number of scientists and natural philosophers who wished to further promote the importance of the Baconian method. Now simply known as the scientific method, the Baconian method promoted the idea that knowledge should be gained from observation and experiment, and not by simply accepting pre-conceived theories because they had always been assumed to be true. They received royal patronage in 1661, and an official Royal Charter from King Charles II in 1662 – a tradition which has continued since, as every subsequent monarch has been patron. By 1663, the members wanted to broadcast their ideas to a wider audience, and decided to commission this work by protégé of founding member John Wilkins, Thomas Sprat.

Sprat’s work was less a history than a manifesto of the Society’s aims, methods and achievements. It was heavily influenced by Wilkins; Sprat himself had little interest in natural philosophy, viewing this enterprise chiefly as an opportunity to demonstrate his literary skills. He subsequently pursued a clerical career, becoming Bishop of Rochester in 1684.

Sadly, this volume is missing the famous frontispiece noted in other editions – engraved by Wenceslas Hollar, it depicts Charles II flanked by Francis Bacon on one side, and first President of the Royal Society William, 2nd Viscount Brouncker, on the other. It is not known why this volume lacks the frontispiece – and indeed, if it ever had it. £205 31. John Bunyan, A disclosure upon the Pharisee and the publicane; 1685 – H.IIIC.26

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (sometimes referred to as the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector) is a parable of Jesus’ appearing in the Gospel of Luke, which contrasts a Pharisee obsessed by his own virtue and a tax collector who humbly asks God for forgiveness. An illustration on the titlepage of this work depicts the two men standing in the temple: “See how the Pharisee in the temple stands / And justifies himself with lifted hands / Whilst a poor publican with downcast eyes / Conscious of guilt to God for mercy cryes”.

It was one of 42 works published by prolific Christian writer John Bunyan during his lifetime; this version is a first edition of his work, printed in London (“printed for John Harris, at the Harrow, over against the Church in the Poultry”) and depicts its author (most famous for his Pilgrim’s Progress) in a portrait below the illustration of the two subjects of the parable. Its spine has cracked and as a result, the wooden boards of the small volume have started to become loose. £205

32. Christopher Smart, Poems Upon Several Occasions; London, 1752 – Q.IV.60

This is a first edition of Christopher Smart’s Poems Upon Several Occasions, published in the midst of the ‘paper war’ of the 18th century that saw a number of prominent writers publish pamphlets attacking one another, and five years before Smart was committed to ‘St. Luke’s Hospital for Lunatics’ – possibly due to what was deemed religious mania.

Friends with a number of noticeable figures including Samuel Johnson and Henry Fielding, Smart is now primarily recognised as a religious poet – his two best-known works, Jubilate Agno (not published until 1939), and A Song to David, were both composed during his confinement in St. Luke’s. He was perhaps best known in his own lifetime for his contributions to two popular magazines, The Student and The Midwife – the latter in which he wrote under the pseudonym ‘Mrs Mary Midnight’. Famously profligate, Smart started racking up debts as a student, and eventually died in a debtor’s prison at the age of 49. 17

Poems Upon Several Occasions was criticised heavily – and publicly – by the English author John Hill as part of his ‘paper war’ with Henry Fielding – a friend of Smart’s. In return, Smart wrote and published The Hilliad, a mock-epic poem which cast Hill as the lead character, the ‘arch-dunce’. Smart considered the work the “balance due” to Hill following his attack on Smart’s person and poetry. Chris Mounsey, biographer of Christopher Smart, argued that it was Hill’s damning review of The Hop-Garden – one of the key works in Poems Upon Several Occasions – that guided the future negative reception of the poem. £205 33. Athanasius Kircher; Mundus subterraneous, Amsterdam, 1665 – H.I.9

A Jesuit scholar as well as a polymath, Kircher published around forty major works on a series of subjects, including Orientalism, medicine, music and disease. Compared to Leonardo da Vinci during his lifetime due to his large range of interests, he has even been credited with founding the study of Egyptology, establishing the links between disease and microorganisms after studying bacteria under a microscope; and inventing the megaphone.

After a disastrous visit to Italy in 1638, where he witnessed volcanic activity from Vesuvius, Etna and Stromboli, was driven ashore at Cape Peloro and experienced devastating earthquakes in Calabria, Kircher resolved to produce a work examining the phenomena of the earth’s interior. Mundus subterraneous is a study of the underground world, describing the origins of continents, oceans and mountains, the cavernous chambers below the Earth’s surface, the movement of currents and the disciplines of geology, minerology and metallurgy. It was one of the earliest works to accurately depict ocean currents and to correctly describe the formation of igneous rock. While Mundus subterraneous boasts several pioneering scientific discoveries, much of its subject matter may appear to be quite farfetched for modern audiences; as well as identifying the legendary lost island of Atlantis, Kircher also discusses the remains of giants found in the ground and describes the various types of animals who belong to the subterranean world, including the dragon. ADOPTED £210

34. Henry Purcell, The Vocal and Instrumental Musick of the Prophetess, or the History of Dioclesian; London, 1691 – Pr Music B1

The composition and subsequent staging and performance of Dioclesian (sometimes referred to as the Prophetess) marked a key turning point in the career of composer Henry Purcell. This edition, printed in 1691, marked the first time that a semi-opera had been published as a full score. Certainly the most famous pre-20th century English composer, Henry Purcell was a key figure of the Baroque era. Said to be composing music from the age of nine, the earliest composition positively attributed to Purcell was an ode for the King’s birthday produced when he was eleven and serving as a chorister in His Majesty’s Chapel. His first anthem, Lord, Who Can Tell, was composed and performed

18 when he was nineteen. His teacher Dr John Blow stepped aside as organist of Westminster Abbey in favour of Purcell when he was twenty, and for the next six years Purcell devoted himself entirely to producing sacred music.

Purcell would return to the music of the theatre, however, and proved himself prolific, producing over one hundred songs, miniature operas including Dido and Aeneas, and incidental music to accompany a famous production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream before his death at the age of thirty-six. Dioclesian concerns two of the popular myths surrounding the story of the Roman Emperor Dioclesian – in particular, how he first became emperor, and later, his abdication. As well as its overall popularity at the time of its publication, it affords us now a valuable resource on Purcell’s theatre music. The music contained therein is still clear and readable; the spine and the binding are slightly damaged, however, and require repair. £210

35. Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, Fifty Comedies and Tragedies; London, 1679 – Q.I.13

One of the oldest books currently available for adoption through the Adopt-a-Book project, this significant work is the second folio edition of the works of 17th century playwrights Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It contains fifty- three works in total, and was printed in 1679 – some thirty-two years after their first folio appeared, containing thirty- five plays. Experts have estimated that only twelve to fifteen of the fifty-five works credited to the two men were written by them in partnership – the others individually, or in collaboration with others.

John Fletcher had collaborated at length with Shakespeare before his partnership with Beaumont, on plays including Henry VIII, The Two Noble Kinsmen, and the lost play Cardenio, and indeed, had succeeded Shakespeare as house playwright for the King’s Men. His collaboration with Beaumont – who had been a student of the poet and playwright Ben Jonson – began in around 1605, and lasted until Beaumont’s death of a stroke at the age of 32, in 1616. Fletcher himself died of plague, in 1625.

This is a considerable volume, and has had some conservation work attempted previously – in particular, repair to damaged pages. Bound in half leather, its boards have now become fully detached, and are starting to become worn. It is hoped that, through the Adopt-a-Book scheme, we can re-back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original title piece. It was previously owned by A.H. Cruickshank, a prebendary of Durham Cathedral from 1910 to 1927. ADOPTED £210

36. Thomas de Vio, Cardinal Cajetanus; Lyon, 1639 – Q.V.5

This edition of the works of Thomas de Vio – Cardinal Cajetanus – was printed in Lyon in the mid-17th century, some two hundred years after the death of the author. It requires repair work to the boards and rebacking in leather.

De Vio is most commonly recognised today for his staunch opposition to the Reformation and, in particular, to the teachings of Martin Luther; he was also one of the nineteen Cardinals who refused to grant the divorce of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, thereby helping prompt the break with Rome of the English Church. His highest concern, during his lifetime, was to protect the Roman Catholic Church and uphold the wishes and status of the Pope who, he felt, should be treated as “the mirror of God on earth”.

De Vio was lauded for his intellect and published on a vast range of subjects, including many of those included in this volume: commentaries on Aristotle and on Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica; treatises against Luther; and detailed studies of the Bible. Feeling that a greater understanding of scripture was necessary in order to combat what he saw as the dangers of Protestantism, he even produced his own translation of the Old and New Testaments in order to deepen his own understanding. £215

37. John Weemse, The Works of John Weemse; London, 1633 – Q.IIIA.47-50

John Weemse – sometimes also spelled Weemes, or Wemyss – was a Church of Scotland minster and an early proponent of the rights of Jewish people to settle in England. He initially gave up his ecclesiastical role in 1620, after being brought before the Perth Assembly for disobeying their Five Articles (an attempt by James I to impose practices on the Church of Scotland that would bring it more in line with the more episcopalian Church of England), in order to focus more on his writing. Over the years, however, his presbyterian sympathies waned, and his commitment to episcopalianism started to develop. He was eventually appointed a prebendary of Durham by Charles I in 1634.

Weemse was a pioneer of the study of Jewish life and learning in seventeenth century Scotland – he studied writings from the Midrash, through to the medieval and early modern writers, focusing in particular on Hebrew texts. He was one of the first Christian writers to speak positively of Jews settling in a Christian country, and was a loud voice in favour of the resettlement of Jews in England. All four volumes of Weemse’s work require conservation and repair, and are therefore available for adoption. £210 per volume

38. Journals of the House of Lords; London, 1767-1847 – F.VII.1-46

Printed by His Majesty’s Stationery Office in London over an eighty year period, Durham Cathedral Library holds 80 volumes of the Journals of the House of Lords, covering the activities of the second chamber from the Tudor era right up to 1848. Almost all require conservation work and repair – including re-backing in leather and the repair of their original boards. It is hoped to be able to remount what remains of their original spines.

Printed in Latin, these volumes cover some of the most important events to have occurred in British history: the divorce of Henry VIII from Catherine of Aragon and his subsequent break from Rome; the Gunpowder Plot; the first parliaments after the 11 year personal rule of Charles I; the English Civil War and the execution of Charles I; the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660; and the American War of Independence. A number of the events these volumes describe directly affected the House of Lords and its operations – following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, for example, priors and abbots no longer had the right to sit in the House, making the Lords Temporal (the noblemen) the majority for the first time. Bishops were excluded altogether during the Civil War in 1642, and not reappointed until 1661. The Acts of Union with Scotland (in 1707) and Ireland (in 1800) entitled Scottish and Irish peers to appoint their own representatives to the House.

Previously a chamber consisting of only around 50 bodies, the creation of a vast number of peerages by George III in the late 18th century expanded the House of Lords significantly – coupled with the increasing powers of the House of Commons during the early 19th century, both the individual and the collective powers of the Lords became subsequently diminished. £220 per volume

39. William Hamper, The Life, Diary and Correspondence of Sir William Dugdale; London, 1827 – G.IV.33

A 17th century English antiquarian and herald, Sir William Dugdale was paramount in establishing medieval history as a legitimate academic subject. He is most famous now for his seminal work Monastican Anglicanum – written in partnership with Roger Dodsworth, this ambitious work aimed to set out and describe the many “ancient abbies … monasteries, hospitals, cathedral and collegiate churches in England and Wales”, with a selection of religious buildings from France, Scotland and Ireland with English connections included too. Its comprehensive and accessible nature (it was written in English and not Latin) ensured it exerted a major influence on later texts on the same subject for a number of centuries later. Dugdale was also commissioned by Sir Christopher Hatton to make drafts of all the monuments of Westminster Abbey and other prominent churches in the run up to the English Civil War. Hatton feared that much would be destroyed in coming battles. Dugdale’s subsequent study on St. Paul’s – The History of St. Paul’s Cathedral – is therefore a key source in allowing us to understand the ‘old’ St. Paul’s – which was subsequently destroyed, not in the English Civil War as Hatton feared, but in the Great Fire of London in 1666.

This account of Dugdale’s life, his diary and his correspondence, was gathered and edited by another antiquary. Some two centuries after Dugdale, William Hamper became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1821 and spent many years preparing a new edition of Dugdale’s Antiquities of Warwickshire; his personal copy of that volume, with its numerous handwritten additions, is now housed in the British Museum.

This volume has been bound in full leather, and has boards which have become detached and worn. Part of its spine is missing. It is hoped to re-back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original spine. £220

40. William Godwin, The Life of Geoffrey Chaucer, the Early English Poet; London, 1803 – O.V.44

Known as the Father of English Literature, Geoffrey Chaucer is generally considered to be the greatest poet of the Middle Ages, and was the first to be buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey. A diplomat, courtier, astronomer and philosopher as well as an author, his most famous work – The Canterbury Tales – has been lauded as crucial in legitimising the literary use of Middle English at a time when the dominant written languages in England were Latin and French.

This biography of Chaucer was written by William Godwin: himself a key literary figure, Godwin was a journalist, poet and novelist, most famous in his own lifetime for his highly controversial biography of his first wife, the feminist writer Mary Wollstonecraft. By refusing to shy away from elements that would have proved shocking to its 18th century audience, in Memoirs of the Author of a Vindication of the Rights of Women, Godwin wrote of his wife’s depression, her suicide attempts, her illegitimate child, and her close relationships with other women. Wollstonecraft died in childbirth, giving birth to her and Godwin’s celebrated daughter Mary – later Mary Shelley.

Godwin wrote of The Canterbury Tales that they have: “Splendour of narrative, richness of fancy, pathetic simplicity of incident and feeling, a powerful style in delineating character and manners, and an animated vein of comic humour … each in turn appears to be that in which the author was most qualified to excel.”

Bound in full leather, the boards of this volume have become detached and worn, and its first leaves detached. It is hoped to repair it by re-backing it in leather and remounting the original spine. £220

41. John Britton, The Fine Arts of the English School; London, 1812 – Q.I.7

This 19th century volume was donated to the collections of Durham Cathedral Library in 1915 by Miss Mary E. Crawhall, who also donated a number of other books available for adoption through the Adopt-a-Book scheme, including Goltzius’ engravings of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, and the collection of engravings of the works of Shakespeare and Milton. Originally bound in full leather, this volume’s boards have become detached and worn. It is hoped to re- back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original spine.

Collated, edited, and written in part by the 19th century antiquarian John Britton, The Fine Arts of the English School features a number of engravings taken from famous paintings, sculptures, and pieces of architecture with English creators, and presents them alongside essays explaining their significance and composition. Hence, a portrait of the distinguished lawyer John Dunning, painted by Joshua Reynolds, is accompanied by a biographical account of the sitter; a painting of Titania, Puck and the Changeling from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, produced by George Romney, is accompanied by an interpretation of the scenes that the artwork depicts; there is even an indepth analysis of the history and description of St. Paul’s Cathedral, designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

This volume was something of a departure for Britton, who had previously established a name for himself producing works of natural history. He is probably best remembered for the nine volume set The Beauties of England and Wales, of which he was a key contributor, and which counted Charles Dickens amongst its readers. £220

42. John Bunyan, The Barren Fig-Tree: or, the Doom and Downfall of the Fruitless Professor; London, 1762 The Barren Fig-Tree was another parable – this one also only appearing in the Gospel of Luke – studied and interpreted by the prolific Christian writer and preacher John Bunyan. The story of a fig-tree planted in a vineyard, that did not bear fruit, was seen to represent the sinner turning to Christ; the gardener refusing the fell the fruitless tree for another year representing Jesus giving sinners a second chance to repent. As in many of his works, Bunyan dissects the parable word by word, to explore its meaning for his 17th century audience, and to set out its relevance to the life of the modern sinner.

This edition was not contemporary to Bunyan – instead printed almost a century after his death in 1688 and during a period when his writings had fallen out of favour somewhat. It has the inscriptions of at least two former owners inside the pages – Thomas Addison, and George Wilson, the second of which likely lived during the 18th century, and owned at least two other early printed books which now reside inside Durham Cathedral Library.

The binding on this delicate little volume is starting to become loose, and the pages damaged. £225 23

43. Henricus Goltzius, Ovidii Metamorphoses; 17th century – Q.I.4

The leading Dutch engraver of the early Baroque period, Hendrik Goltzius has been described as “the last professional engraver who drew with the authority of a good painter and the last who invented many pictures for others to copy”. His right hand damaged from a fire when he was a baby, Goltzius developed a style that worked round this, drawing instead by using the large muscles in his arm and shoulder, which helped manipulate the burin (the tool used for engraving) to make lines appear thicker or thinner from a distance – giving the images a tonal quality. Goltzius was a prolific engraver with at least 388 prints credited to him; with two friends he set up an academy in Haarlem while still in his twenties, and in middle age also took up painting, expanding his artistic portfolio even further.

This collection of engravings from Ovid’s Metamorphoses dates from the 17th century; the engravings therein were probably produced by Goltzius with help from his scholars, Estius and Ryckius. Comprising fifteen books, and over 250 myths, Ovid’s work chronicles the history of the world from creation up until the deification of Julius Caesar. Monsters, gods, and other mythical beings litter the images.

Alongside the collection of prints of the works of Shakespeare, this work was also donated to Durham Cathedral Library in 1915 by Miss Mary E. Crawhall. Its binding is damaged and requires repair, and it is hoped to have the pages conservation cleaned, in order to better display the attractive marbled fore-edges. £225

44. Colin MacLaurin, An account of Sir Isaac Newton’s philosophical discoveries; London, 1775 – F.IV.24

Colin MacLaurin, something of a child prodigy (he was admitted to the University of Glasgow at the age of eleven) and a key figure of the Scottish Enlightenment, was a student of both mathematics and divinity, and was the youngest professor ever appointed when made professor of mathematics at Marischal College in Aberdeen at the age of 19 (a record he held until as recently as 2008). He wrote several works of mathematics on Newtonian principles, arguing that the ultimate purpose of natural philosophy is to reveal God’s work. He was admitted to membership of the Royal Society in 1719, where Newton became his patron.

After Newton’s death, MacLaurin was invited to collaborate on a biography of the great man by John Conduitt, the husband of Newton’s niece and heir Catherine. Conduitt died before his project could be completed, but MacLaurin continued with his part in it, dictating the last chapter until a few hours before his death. It was published posthumously in 1748, and has long been recognised as the leading authoritative statement of mainstream Newtonianism.

This is the third edition of MacLaurin’s work – dedicated by his widow, Anne. The binding has started to become loose, and many of the fold-out diagrams of mathematical formulae and principles are starting to become damaged as a result. ADOPTED £230

45. Robert Plot, The Natural History of Oxfordshire; Oxford, 1677 – I.I.11

Robert Plot was a British naturalist, Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University, and the first Keeper of the Ashmolean Museum. His seminal work, The Natural History of Oxfordshire, contains descriptions and illustrations of a wide range of Oxfordshire fossils, rocks and minerals, and even includes the first known illustration of a dinosaur bone (the femur of a Megalosaurus), thought by Plot to be the bone of a giant human: “If then they are neither the Bones of Horses, Oxen, nor Elephants, as I am strongly persuaded they are not, it remains, that (notwithstanding their extravagant Magnitude) they must have been the bones of Men or Women.” The Natural History of Oxfordshire was an immediate success upon publication, and is even credited as being the key in reassuring Elias Ashmole that Oxford was the ideal location to deposit his collection: hence the formation of the Ashmolean, with Plot as its first Keeper.

It was published at the very beginning of the development of scientific interest in fossils – there was still great debate amongst natural scientists about what, exactly, fossils were, and how they were formed. Plot himself argued that fossils were not the remains of living organisms at all, but rather crystallisations of mineral salts, which happened to set into a vaguely zoological form. £230

46. Nehemiah Grew, Musaeum Regalis Societatis. Or a catalogue & description of the natural and artificial rarities belonging to the Royal Society : and preserved at Gresham Colledge; London, 1681 – H.II.27

Nehemiah Grew was a physician, botanist and microanatomist best known for his investigations into the structure and characteristics of plants. Primarily interested in the morphology and taxonomy of plants, he extended his research into plant physiology, considering how buds grew and seeds developed. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1671 and became joint Secretary with Robert Hooke (famous for his work on microscopy, Micrographia) in 1677. During his tenure as Secretary, Grew assembled this catalogue of the society’s repository of rarities: Musaeum Regalis Societatis.

This innovative and pioneering catalogue was one of the first scientific works to be published by subscription and contains detailed engravings of objects from the Royal Society’s collection, including the skull of a hippopotamus, some examples of tortoise shells and a scaled illustration of a coconut. The Society’s collection was held in Gresham College and was more of a ‘cabinet of curiosities’ with an emphasis on peculiar and wonderful objects, rather than a

25 serious scientific collection; donations and acquisitions came to collections from many travellers to distant lands. These works, combined with Grew’s later work The Anatomy of Plants, marked the pinnacle of Grew’s career as a scientist; his contributions to the Royal Society and to research had virtually ceased by the end of the 1680s. Grew is best remembered, however, for his eminence as a physican and botanist; the great Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus even named a genus of trees Grewia in his honour. £240

47. John Dryden; The Fables of John Dryden, ornamented with engravings from the pencil of Lady Diana Beauclerc; London, 1797 – M.I.44

The key literary figure of his age and the first ever Poet Laureate, John Dryden wrote a range of works, including satires, fables, plays, religious works, poetry, criticism and translations. He remains the only Poet Laureate to ever be forcibly removed from office – a Catholic convert, he refused to take the Oath of Allegiance to the new monarchs William III and Mary II in 1689.

This is one of the works of translation upon which Dryden relied for a steady income following the deposition of his patron, James II, in 1688. It includes translations of works by Chaucer and Boccaccio as well as the First Book of Homer’s Iliad and eight selections from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. They are illustrated with engravings by Lady Diana Beauclerc (sometimes ‘Beauclerk’), an 18th century noblewoman and artist who counted Joshua Reynolds, Samuel Johnson and Edward Gibbon amongst her friends. Most recognised for her work illustrating literary productions, Beauclerk was one of a number of women whose designs were adopted by Josiah Wedgwood for his pottery.

This handsome volume has been bound in full leather – though its boards have become damaged and worn. Its spine has also been damaged. It is hoped to repair its leaves, re-back it in leather, repair its boards, and remount its original spine, thus restoring it to its former glory. £240

48. The knightly tale of Golagrus and Gawane and other ancient poems; Edinburgh, 1827 – Q.I.12a

This collection of ‘ancient poems’ was donated to Durham Cathedral Library in January 1948 by Evelyn Hardy. A letter of hers, attached to the marbled frontispiece, gives some information as to its provenance: she bought it herself while a student, with her “hard-earned pocket money”, and believes it to be a facsimile copy of the first book ever printed in Scotland, by the first royal Scottish printers, Walter Chepman and Andrew Myllar. Their printer’s marks are dotted liberally throughout the volume.

No manuscript copy of the Middle Scots Arthurian romance poem of the title is still in existence; the Knightly Tale of Golagrus and Gawane survives solely through the printed book by Chepman and Myllar, from 1508, currently held by the National Library of Scotland. It is mainly set during King Arthur’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land – though the main hero of the poem is Gawain, his nephew living in France. It centres around two episodes: one where Gawain succeeds in obtaining provisions by graciously asking for them – rather than trying to take them by brute force; the other where Arthur and his men attempt to besiege a castle on the Rhone, when the conflict is decided by a battle between the chivalrous Gawain and the castle’s formidable lord, Golagrus. Other poems included in this volume include William Dunbar’s The Golden Targe and A Gest of Robyn Hood – one of the earliest surviving tales of Robin Hood, dating from around 1450. This beautiful facsimile copy of the 1508 edition was produced in Edinburgh in 1827 by Scottish antiquary David Laing; its spine is damaged and the gold-tooled binding has become separated as a result. ADOPTED £240

49. John MacPherson, Critical Dissertations on the Origins, Antiquities, Language … of the ancient Caledonians; 1768 – H.V.45

The most famous work of Scottish politician and antiquarian John MacPherson, Critical Dissertation on the Origins, Antiquities, Language, Government, Manners and Religion of the Ancient Caledonians, is a work on the Ossian controversy. John MacPherson’s friend and colleague James MacPherson claimed to have collected word of mouth material in Gaelic, from ancient sources, and translated it himself into his own version. The narrator, Ossian, or Oisìn, was a legendary bard from Irish mythology; his stories “are of endless battles and unhappy loves” with little explanation or context. The poems were well received initially, though critics were immediately sceptical of their authenticity: it is now generally accepted that James MacPherson produced the poems himself, with help from John MacPherson.

Critical Dissertations on … the Ancient Caledonians upheld the authorship of Ossian: the ‘ancient Caledonians’ of which MacPherson writes were, he argued, originally from Gaul, the ancestors of the Picts, Scottish and Irish. Therefore, the monarchy and language of the Picts and the “Irish antiquities peculiarly dark and fabulous” are examined alongside dissertations on the Scottish bards, the religion of the ancient Caledonians, and why the

Highlanders refused, initially, to refer to themselves as Scots. MacPherson drew on numerous sources for his work – including the Ecclesiastical History by the Venerable Bede – though an explanation is given in the preface by MacPherson’s son as to why Bede and MacPherson differ one some accounts: Bede, he argues, “was neither critically inquisitive, or knew much of national antiquities … Miracles, visions, dreams, martyrologies, Easter and the Tonsure, and above all, St. Cuthbert and the see of Rome, engaged his whole attention and diverted his mind from a study more amusing than important”.

This is a first edition of MacPherson’s work – though published three years after his death. Although he asked his son to edit and amend his work prior to publication, his son – who, working as a Scottish administrator in India would later become Governor-General of Bengal – refused to do so: he “chose rather to give his father’s dissertations to the world as they stood, than to attempt any amendments, which perhaps might injure the memory of a parent he tenderly loved.” £250

50. Thomas Stanley, The History of Philosophy; 1701 – H.VI.10

The History of Philosophy, the seminal work of metaphysical poet and translator Thomas Stanley, is considered to be the first English work in the academic study of the history of philosophy. This new school focused the literary and scientific aspects of scholarship that were increasingly being applied in all fields, to the study of philosophy. A series of critical biographies of key thinkers, starting with the pre-Socratic Greek philosopher Thales, Stanley considered the life, writings and theories of each philosopher in turn. The volume also includes attractive woodcuts of many of the figures studied.

Thomas Stanley entered Pembroke Hall at Cambridge as a boy of thirteen, already adept in the study of classics and an enthusiastic student of French, Italian and Spanish. A friend of many poets, he left England during the Civil War and travelled around mainland Europe, devoting himself to his literary work upon his return to London. The History of Philosophy appeared in three volumes, printed between 1655 and 1661; this volume is a slightly later third edition, from the early eighteenth century. Included in this volume was a never-before published account of the life of the author, stating from the outset that “the Reader cannot expect to find in this Place a long Recital of Intrigues and Adventures … [the life of] a Scholar is in the Solitude of his Study: And as Mr. Stanley’s Learning made up the brightest part of his Character, so an Account of his Life is but a Relation of his Achievements in the Learned World”. £250

51. Walter Raleigh, The History of the World, in Five Books; 1677 – I.I.34

The History of the World is one of the better known – and certainly one of the most important – prose works of the English knight Sir Walter Raleigh, written during his thirteen year imprisonment in the Tower of London for treason. Raleigh had originally intended his five volume set to cover all of history from 146 BC through to the present day, with a particular focus on warfare, law and kingship. The work presented history as a moral exercise, and had initially been planned as an educational tool for Henry, Prince of Wales – eldest son of King James I.

Although Raleigh was in prison at the time of its publication, the links to Prince Henry ensured that the book was on the Royal Stationer’s list of approved books in 1611. However, his critical treatment of monarchs in the text, and what James I viewed to be thinly-veiled threats against him, angered the King, who demanded publication to cease and copies of the book to be banned. This only further increased demand for the work; eventually it was issued with no title page, thus depriving Raleigh of any open authorial credit.

Although a great favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, her successor James I mistrusted Raleigh and had him sentenced to death for plotting the king’s death in 1603. This was later commuted to life in prison, and Raleigh was released from the Tower in 1616 to lead a second expedition to the fabled city of El Dorado. The expedition a failure, Raleigh ended up defying the King’s orders and attacking the Spanish. His death penalty was reinstated, and he was executed in October 1618. £250 52. Papers from the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade; London, 1787 – K.IIIA.45

The Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade was formed in London in May 1787 by twelve men, including Durham resident Granville Sharp, who in his role as lawyer had long been involved in the prosecution of cases on behalf of enslaved Africans. The aims of the Society were threefold: to inform and educate the public on the inhuman treatment of African slaves; to campaign in favour of a new law which would outlaw the slave trade and enforce this ban on the high seas; and to establish areas of West Africa where emancipated slaves could live safely, free from the risk of capture. As well as petitioning and speaking in parliament, they also arranged lecture tours and published abolitionist prints, posters and pamphlets, including Josiah Wedgwood’s famous image of an African man in chains, with the caption “Am I not a man and a brother?”

One of the most powerful and influential publications of the Society was a plan of a ship used in the trade, demonstrating the appalling conditions on board during the passage from Africa to the New World. It depicts hundreds of slaves crammed together, with no room to move – divided into four separate rooms for girls, boys, women and men.

In 1807, the British parliament eventually voted to abolish the international slave trade and enforce this through the Royal Navy. By 1823, the Society had been superseded by the Anti-Slavery Society, which continued to work towards abolition in the United States and in British colonies, where slavery was still flourishing. The Slavery Abolition Act was finally passed in 1830, supporting immediate abolition in all British territories. £255

53. The Holy Bible, embellished by the most eminent British Artists [the ‘Macklin’ Bible]; London, 1824 – Q.I.22- 24

This is an 1824 edition of the most ambitious Bible ever to be produced in Britain. The printseller and picture-dealer Thomas Macklin intended this work (originally in six volumes) to promote not only “the interest of our holy Religion” but also “the glory of the English school of painting and engraving”. The final result was a glorious Bible featuring over 70 engraved plates, and a new typeface and paper designed to illustrate the work to its fullest.

The Bible cost Macklin around £30,000 to produce in the late 18th century; costs were so exorbitant that he was forced to sell off paintings and engravings from previous projects, including his Poet’s Gallery. It is thought that the plate featuring the Holy Family alone, by Joshua Reynolds, cost Macklin £5,000 to commission. Alongside Reynolds, other artists commissioned to produce plates included Henry Fuseli, Thomas Gainsborough, Angelica Kauffman and Philippe Jacques de Louthenberg (who produced 16 of the 70). A vast majority of the prints were engraved by Francesco Bartolozzi.

Of the three volumes in Durham Cathedral’s Library’s set, two are available for adoption through Adopt-a-Book. These glorious volumes have been bound in full leather, but now have boards that have become detached and worn. It is hoped to re-back them in leather, repair their boards, and remount their original spines, thus restoring these beautiful books back to the former glory they deserve. £255

54. Anton Friedrich Büsching, A New System of Geography; 1762 – H.V.39-44

This is a first edition of the English translation of the magnum opus of geographer and theologian Anton Friedrich Büsching, Erdebeschreibung (‘Earth description’), first printed in London from 1762 onwards. All six volumes of this complete set require some level of conservation, and are therefore available for adoption. Büsching supposedly became aware of the sorry state of geographical science while travelling to St. Petersburg as tutor to the children of the German ambassador, and resolved to do something about it; this work, in stressing statistics and approaching each country of the world in a scientific – rather than descriptive – manner, was hailed as the first geographical work of any scientific

30 merit. Drawing from his own experiences and travels wherever possible, Büsching approached “men of learning and politeness in different parts of the world” to fill in the gaps in his knowledge, and found a positive aspect on which to reflect every country covered, stating in the Preface: “there is not a single country on the Globe which cannot boast of some peculiar advantages”. He also refrained from reflecting on the supposed characteristics of particular nations, refusing to bow to stereotypes: “I wholly avoid giving the characters of nations, it being not only a very difficult task in itself, but such general characters are also, at best, uncertain, and for the most part ill-grounded and partial.”

Only the first five volumes – the first four covering Europe, the fifth the first of those dealing with Asia (in particular, Asiatic Turkey and Arabia) had been printed in its original language during Büsching’s lifetime. £265 per volume

55. John Baptist Jackson; Titiani Vecellii Pauli Caliarii Robusti et Jacobi de Ponte opera selectiora; Venice, 1745 – L.IIIA.53

Now considered something of a monument of 18th century printmaking, this book depicts woodcut reproductions of seventeen of the great Venetian paintings by artists including Titian, Tintoretto, Leandro da Ponte Bassano, Jacopa Bassano and Francesco da Ponte Bassano. Each woodcut was painstakingly carved by John Baptist Jackson, an artist who received little recognition at the time, but who is now considered to be a master of chiaroscuro woodcuts (coloured woodcuts printed with different blocks, each using a different coloured ink – leading to a greater contrast of light and dark). The sepia-effect of the images as a result offers an alternative interpretation of these great works of art.

The text block in this volume is in good condition; however, the boards are loose and worn and require repair. The book also requires conservation cleaning. £275

56. Diurnall occurrences, or Heads of proceedings of both Houses of Parliament; London, 29th Nov – 6th Dec 1641 – I.VII.17

Seen as heralding the birth of the British press, the weekly published newsbook Diurnall occurences, or the heads of several proceedings in this present parliament was published for the first time in November 1641. This weekly edition aimed to set out the parliamentary discussions held that week in pamphlet form and tended, especially in the early editions, to be very much ‘on message’ with what parliament wanted them to promote. Later, as the Civil War developed, each warring faction would use their newsbooks to aid their own propaganda. This is the first edition of the very first of the newsbooks to be produced, and has significant historical importance. Around 1,500 copies of the more successful editions of the newsbook would be published at any one time – and far fewer than this for the first issue. This newsbook shows that during the week of 29th November to December 6th 1641, King Charles I was handed the Grand Remonstrance at Hampton Court; letters were read out in the house regarding Irish rebels; and that four men were brought before the house for creating a “hubbub” in the Hall and shouting about the Antichrist and Bishops. Bound together with Diurnall occurrences from November 1641 are the weekly editions up until June 1646; giving a first-hand account of both the early days of the press, and detailing events in parliament during one of the most explosive times in parliament’s history. This volume requires repair to the leaves and boards, and rebacking in leather. £285

57. Johann Georg Graevius; Thesaurus Antiquitatum Romanarum; Rhens, 1694-99 – M.VI.1-12

The twelve volumes of Thesaurus Antiquitatum Romanarumare considered to the be the most important work of Johann Georg Graevius, historiographer royal of William III of England, and a great favourite of Louis XIV of France. When published between 1694 and 1699, it was the most comprehensive summary of ancient art and antiquity to date; furthermore, by translating into Latin contemporary and near-contemporary writings from authors across Europe, it intended to bring together antiquarian scholarship from a broad band of researchers and smooth over the developing rivalries caused by localised studies. All twelve volumes are held by Durham Cathedral Library, and they all require re-backing and repair. £285 per volume

58. A forme of common prayer; London, 1779 – I.VII.18

This volume consists of a series of prayers, published and issued separately for different occasions during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, bound together in one volume during the late eighteenth century. Amidst the general prayers for saints day and fast days are included prayers against plague (1636), prayers for the recovery of the city after the Fire of London (1666), and prayers to be said during the ‘American War’. Each separate pamphlet (which included not just prayers but entire services) was printed by the king’s printer at the time – one of whom, during the 32 seventeenth century, was Robert Barker – who would later die in debtors’ prison following his substantial fine after publishing what came to be known as the ‘sinner’s’ or ‘adulterer’s’ Bible.

As may be expected when gathering together a series of different published prayers from different eras and different printers, there has been some damage to the leaves which now require repair; the volume also requires repair to its boards and rebacking in leather. ADOPTED £295

59. Statute: An additional act for the better observation of the Lord’s Day; London, 1650 – I.VII.20

This act, passed during the Interregnum under Oliver Cromwell, set down in law the strict enforcement of Sunday as the Lord’s Day. The passing of this act ensured that any form of work undertaken on a Sunday could get an individual put in the stocks; dancing, sport, and any form of entertainment was banned. Even going for a walk – unless it was to church – was frowned upon.

This statute is bound in a collection with many others – most of them official ecclesiastical documents, issued and printed between 1650 (the date of this statute) and 1721. Many were printed by John Field, who became Cambridge University Press’s printer in 1655 and built the printing house that would remain in place until the mid-19th century (the land where it stood is now part of the Master’s Lodge of St. Catharine’s College).

This volume requires repair to the boards and rebacking in leather. £310

60. Adrian Reland, Antiquitates sacrae veterum hebraeorum; Rhens, 1709 – I.III.60

Adrian Reland (sometimes referred to as Hadraini Relando) was a Dutch cartographer and Orientalist acclaimed during his lifetime despite never actually leaving the Netherlands. This work, translated as Sacred Tales of Ancient Hebrew, focuses on what Reland classed as Jewish antiquities, and is written in Latin with some Hebrew (which Reland spoke fluently). Also bound in this volume is Johann Baptist Otte’s reply to Reland’s work. The spine has unfortunately received some damage and therefore the book requires re-sewing and rebacking, as well as some repair work to the boards. £320

61. Special forms of prayer; London, 1605 – I.VII.19

This collection of prayers – specially issued to commemorate or give thanks for a series of significant events – spans a two hundred year period; published separately, they were bound together and published in this current volume sometime in the early nineteenth century. Events marked through these special prayers include the safe deliverance of the king and parliament from the Gunpowder Plot in 1605; the queen’s pregnancy in 1687; the subsequent safe delivery of the baby in 1688; the victory at Blenheim in 1704; the union of England and Scotland in 1717; and Nelson’s victory at Trafalgar in 1805. Some prayers are to be read in churches nationwide; others – such as that praising the actions of the Duke of Newcastle in standing up to the ‘Yorkshire and Lancashire rebels’ – in only those specified.

Some of the prayers bound in this volume have inscriptions suggesting they belonged to former bishops of Durham, including Thomas Morton. There is some damage to the leaves, which require repair; the volume also requires repair to its boards and rebacking in leather. £320

62. Robert Harris; A sermon preached to the House of Commons; London, 1642 – I.VII.21

This sermon was preached before the House of Commons by the staunch Puritan Robert Harris before a fast day in May 1642. It is bound in a volume with seventeen other sermons, all dating from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and now requires repair to its leaves and boards, and rebacking in leather.

At first, Harris attempted to maintain neutrality in the rapidly growing tensions between crown and parliament, declaring in this very sermon that “mens consciences are miserably perplexed between command and command. … Let me assure you, the case betwixt pastor and flock will be very sad if there be not a timely settlement. But things of this nature I had rather speak in private than in press or pulpit”.

However, this position became increasingly untenable, and after Harris and his family were evicted from their home by Royalist forces during the Battle of Edgehill in 1642, Harris was forced to travel to London and appointed to the Westminster Assembly – a group appointed to restructure the Church of England in direct opposition to King Charles I and Archbishop of Canterbury William Laud. Harris’s desire for a quieter and less political life was, at least in part, met later when he was appointed President of Trinity College at Oxford, where he was expected to lecture once a week and preach every Sunday at Garsington. £320

63. A series of magnificent engravings to illustrate the various folio or quarto editions of the works of Shakespeare and Milton; London, 1818 – Q.I.1

This beautiful leather bound volume contains over fifty engravings – thirty-eight depicting the works of Shakespeare, thirteen depicting the works of Milton. A first edition, it cost a hefty £9:9s. when first available in 1818.

The engravings in this volume are particularly fine, and depict famous scenes including the death of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, the appearance of Bottom with an ass’s head in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the appearance of the three witches in Macbeth; as well as scenes from the Garden of Eden, Heaven, and Hell from Milton’s Paradise Lost. A number of the engravings were produced by James Heath, “Historical Engraver to His Majesty and HRH the Prince of Wales”, who had previously produced the engravings for John Boydell’s Shakespeare Gallery. Most of the engravings were based on paintings by English painter and engraver Thomas Stothard: a member of the Royal Academy and most acclaimed for his book illustrations, Stothard had worked with Heath on the Boydell project, and had also produced his own six-volume illustrated edition of Shakespeare.

An inscription in the front of this volume tells us that it was presented to Durham Cathedral Library by Miss Mary E. Crawhall in January 1915; its pages require some conservation cleaning to prevent further disrepair, and some reinforcement is necessary to help preserve the spine. It is hoped to fully preserve the beautiful gold-tooled binding.

£320

64. George Staunton, An authentic account of an embassy from the King of Great Britain [George III] to the Emperor of China [Ch’ien Lung]; 1797 – L.IIIA.51

A botanist, and an employee of the East India Trading Company, Sir George Staunton was named Secretary to the British mission to the Chinese Imperial court – the Macartney Embassy – in 1793. Led by Lord George Macartney, the Macartney Embassy failed to bring back any of the diplomatic and trade concessions they had hoped for – including the opening of new ports in China for British trade, the opening of a permanent British embassy in Beijing and the relaxation of trade restrictions on British merchants in Guangzhou. However, the mission was later recognised and applauded for the extensive political, geographical and cultural observations it returned – written up and published by Staunton in a multi-volume work.

This volume contains a series of maps and engravings made during the diplomatic mission, and alongside a series of detailed maps and plans, also includes images and engravings of, amongst others, wildlife such as the fire-backed pheasant of Java, a Chinese military post, and weapons utilised by Chinese armies. The spine and boards of this large

35 volume have become separated, and conservation work is required to prevent any further damage to the maps and plates contained within.

The emperor Ch’ien Lung (or Qianlong) was not coy in refusing to entertain the requests of the embassy, sending a letter back to George III, asking him to “Consider, moreover, that England is not the only barbarian land which wishes to establish … trade with my Empire: supposing that other nations were all to imitate your evil example and beseech me to present them each and all with a site for trading purposes, how could I possibly comply?” This letter was largely unknown to the public until the beginning of the 20th century. Macartney’s damning and somewhat offensive summary of the delegation was more widely disseminated, however: “The Empire of China is an old, crazy, first-rate Man of War, which a fortunate succession of able and vigilant officers have contrived to keep afloat for these hundred and fifty years past, and to overawe their neighbours merely by her bulk and appearance. But whenever an insufficient man happens to have the command on deck, adieu to the discipline and safety of the ship. She may, perhaps, not sink outright; she may drift some time as a wreck, and will then be dashed to pieces on the shore”. £320 65. John Carter, Durham Cathedral; London, 1801– ChapterLib +++L942.81 CAR

The Society of Antiquaries’ Cathedral Series, published from 1795 to 1813, was the first attempt to provide accurate, detailed and measured illustrations of religious houses in England. John Carter, who was responsible for most of the illustrations, proved outstanding as a draughtsman and vigorously campaigned for the preservation of the buildings. Durham was chosen as 'the most magnificent' construction in the Norman style, and Carter's cross-section of the Cathedral from East to West was the largest of his drawings to be engraved.

James Basire II, who engraved Carter’s drawing, came from a prominent family of engravers: his grandfather, Isaac Basire, was famous in his own right, and his father James had apprenticed the young William Blake. Basire, his father, and his son, were all officially appointed engraver to the Society of Antiquities.

There are five volumes in this remarkable series, and all require conservation work.

One volume adopted £325 per volume

66. The Geneva Bible; London, 1577 – B.III.17

This English language Bible uses a text which was “translated according to the Ebrewe and the Greeke, and conferred with the best translations in divers languages” in Geneva in the mid-16th century. Geneva, at this time, was viewed as the centre of Protestantism in Europe: home of the Reformation’s key theologian John Calvin – seen by many as the natural successor to Martin Luther – the pastors sent out by Calvin from Geneva would eventually help establish

Presbyterianism in Scotland, Puritanism in England, and the Reformed Church in the Netherlands. Geneva was also home to many of those – including William Whittingham, later Dean of Durham – who felt they had to flee from England when Queen Mary Tudor took the throne in 1553. Whittingham produced his own English translation of the Bible, printed as the 1557 Geneva Bible, which may have been the text used for this volume.

This 1577 work was printed by Robert Barker in London, printer to Queen Elizabeth I and later King James I: it was Barker and his partner who would print the 1611 King James Bible. Sadly, it has suffered significant damage over the years – many of the leaves are missing or defective, with a substantial loss of text having been replaced by pages from a different bible. Its binding is also starting to come loose, meaning further pages are at risk of becoming detached.

£335 67. Catalogus librorum impressorum Bibliothecae Bodleiane in academia Oxoniensi; Oxford, 1843– O.I.40-42

These 1843 editions of the Bodleian Library Record all require repair to their boards and rebacking in leather.

Oxford University’s Bodleian Library is one of the most famous libraries in the world; it has stood on its current site since 1602, incorporating an earlier library which stood on the same site during the 15th century, originally founded by money granted by Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester – younger brother of Henry V. The money to reform the library, and to restock its depleted collections after the confiscation of books under the reign of Edward VI, was provided by Sir Thomas Bodley, a fellow of Merton College; the library was named in his honour, and is still sometimes referred to as ‘the Bodley’.

The first printed catalogue of the Bodleian collection was issued in 1605; in 1610, Bodley drew up an agreement with the Stationers’ Company of London which established that every book printed in England would be deposited in the Bodleian. The Bodleian Library Record has been published as a biannual journal since 1914, reducing the need for bulky, heavy volumes such as this one. One volume adopted £335 per volume

68. John Nichols, Collection of the wills of the Kings and Queens of England; London, 1780 – N.III.29

In this volume, printer John Nichols gathered together the wills of every English king from William I to Henry VII (no queen had ruled in her own right up until that point), and also those of their queens, and the princes and princesses of Wales. The continuing interest in this subject has prompted several reprints throughout the centuries – the most recent in 2012. This is a first edition dating from 1780.

A noted antiquary and author, John Nichols made a significant impact in the field of literary biography during his forty years as editor of the periodical The Gentleman’s Magazine and, in this role, was an important figure within the Republic of Letters. This volume requires repair of the leaves, and rebinding in its original style. ADOPTED £345

69. Johannes Blaeu, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum sive Novus Atlas; Amsterdam, 1648-55 – L.IIIA.17

Dutch cartographer and publisher Willem Blaeu established his cartographic publishing house in 1612, using his astronomical and mathematical knowledge (he had been a student of the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe) to establish a name for himself in cartography. Twenty years later, he was appointed mapmaker for the East India Trading Company; his detailed and carefully constructed maps can sometimes be recognised in the paintings of Johannes Vermeer, who frequently featured them hanging on walls in the background of his pictures.

Inspired by Mercator’s Atlas, Blaeu and his son, Johannes, announced that their Atlas Novus would be ready for publication by 1634; it was eventually issued in 1635 in four different versions (French, German, Latin and Dutch). Jan continued to work on and expand the atlas following his father’s death, and eventually issued the Atlas Maior, the most expensive book published during the seventeenth century, in its final form in 1665. This is a 1655 reissue of the original 1635 work. ADOPTED £350

70. Thomas Manton, A Practical Commentary, or an Exposition with Notes, on the Epistle of James; London, 1651

This 17th century volume was recently donated to Durham Cathedral Library by supporters of the library, it having previously belonged to their father. Following its repair through the Adopt-a-Book scheme, it will be fully catalogued, given a shelfmark, and take its place amongst its contemporaries and near-contemporaries on the shelves of Durham Cathedral’s beautiful Refectory Library.

The Exposition of James, as it has come to be known, is probably the most brilliant and best-remembered work of Thomas Manton. A Puritan clergyman, Manton was one of three clerks to the Westminster Assembly of Divines (a council of churchmen and parliamentarians called to restructure the Church of England following the English Civil War), and personal chaplain to Oliver Cromwell. Following the death of Cromwell in 1658, however, Manton was amongst a number of Presbyterians who called for the Restoration of the Monarchy during the subsequent period of uncertainty, and even travelled to the Netherlands in 1660 to help negotiate such an end.

Offered the Deanery of Rochester by an appreciative Charles II, Manton refused it on grounds of conscience. His final years were tumultuous ones. His failure to comply with the Act of Uniformity in 1662 – which dictated that the public prayers, administration of the sacraments and other rites set down in the newly issued Book of Common Prayer – led to Manton being ejected from his position as rector of St. Paul’s in Covent Garden. He was later imprisoned for six months in 1670 for failing to comply.

Through the Adopt-a-Book programme, it is hoped to clean the text block of this volume, and strip it down into sections. It will then be repaired as necessary, re-sewn, re-backed in leather, and then have the remains of its original spine remounted. In such a way, this handsome 17th century edition – contemporary to Manton himself – will be returned to its full glory. ADOPTED £355

71. Lawrence Giustiniani, Opera Omnia; Venice, 1606 – P.VIA.11 This collection of works by the Roman Catholic saint Lawrence Giustiniani, printed in Venice in 1606, gathers together a series of texts on contemplation, the monastic life, mysticism, and the perception of Eternal Wisdom.

Born in 1381, Giustiniani came from a family well-known for its piety, and devoted himself to a life in the church from a young age. From his role as the first prior of the Benedictine monks in the community of San Giorgio in Alga, he was promoted to Bishop of Castello in 1433 by Pope Eugene IV – a role he conducted with great personal austerity, preferring a life of poverty and using the opportunity to give clothing and food to the poor of the city. In his role as the (disputed first) Patriarch of Venice, Giustiniani took a leading role in the Republic in working with the clergy and calming the population when Constantinople fell to invading Muslim forces. He was canonized by Pope Alexander VII in the 17th century – though his feast day is no longer celebrated in the General Roman Calendar.

The repair work required on this significant volume includes rebacking in leather and a repair to the sewing. £365

72. Robert Smith, A Compleat System of Opticks; Cambridge, 1738 – H.V.19-20

A Compleat System of Opticks is the most famous work of mathematician and music theorist Robert Smith – published while Professor of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, and shortly before his appointment as Master of Trinity College. Along with mathematics and theoretical optics, it explored the theories set down in Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica in greater detail, applying the theories to explain a set of optical phenomena including reflection, refraction and inflection. His work did a lot to help spread the ideas of Newton around Europe, and was popular in part because of its thorough examination of the history of the theory, as well as its application. The list of subscribers to A Compleat System of Opticks includes many clergymen, lawyers, physicians and academics, as well as a number of

39 well-known instrument makers. Its popularity was such that translations were produced in Dutch, German and French – as well as a shortened version in English for students. Both volumes of Smith’s work held in Durham Cathedral Library need some conservation work, as the boards are starting to come away from their bindings and will need rebacking. £345 per volume

73. History of Newcastle miscellany; 18th-19th century – P.VIA.39

This volume consists of two works on the history of Newcastle-upon-Tyne: William Gray’s 1649 survey of Newcastle, Chorographia, printed in 1813, and Henry Bourne’s 1736 work The History of Newcastle-upon-Tyne or, the Ancient and Present State of That Town.

Gray’s foreword to his work explains that “every countrey hath had his chronologer, or writer, to portrait unto their countreymen their Antiquities, and noble acts”, and that in producing this volume, he sought to do for Newcastle what Homer did for Greece, Virgil did for Rome, Bede did for the Anglo-Saxons, and that Camden and Speed did for England as a whole. He describes the difficulties he has had in producing the work because of the damage sustained during Scottish and Viking invasions, stating that “Questionlesse, many great men have lived in this towne and countrey … but they are all buried in oblivion”. Nevertheless, his account begins before the Roman invasion, and covers topics including the building of Newcastle’s walls and gates, its bridges and churches, and the streets and buildings. He describes Pilgrim Street as “the longest and fairest street in the Town”.

The Bourne volume has an interesting provenance: an inscription on the title page explaining that it was owned by John White, the Newcastle-based printer who first printed the work. Henry Bourne was the son of a tailor and expected to be a glazier; however, his promise was such that he was sent to grammar school and from there achieved a scholarship to Cambridge University. Curate of All Hallows Church in Newcastle, he was best known for his acclaimed work Antiquities of the Common People. This work was unfinished at his death in 1733, and was eventually published posthumously. It is unclear when these two volumes were bound together; however, they came into the care of Durham Cathedral Library in the 1960s, when they were donated by the estate of William Waples. £470

74. George Frideric Handel, Messiah: An Oratorio in Score; London, 1800 – Pr Music E42

The most famous work of the great Baroque composer George Frideric Handel, and featuring the world-renowned Hallelujah Chorus, Handel’s Messiah was first performed in Dublin in April 1742, and in London almost a year later. Featuring spiritual text compiled from the King James Bible and from the Psalms found in the Book of Common Prayer, Handel originally composed Messiah for “modest vocal and instrumental forces”, though in the years following his death, it was adapted and expanded for performance on a much larger, grander scale.

The singers in Messiah do not assume dramatic roles and there is no single, dominant, narrative voice. Instead, it serves as a commentary on Christ’s “Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension”, starting with God’s promises as spoken by the prophets, and ending with Christ’s glorification in heaven. It took Handel a mere 24 days to complete; his inscription at the end of the manuscript, “SDG” (Soli Deo Gloria – “To God alone the glory”) has led to the idea that he composed it in a fit of religious fervour, and that when writing the Hallelujah Chorus, he saw “all heaven before him”. In reality, many of Handel’s works – in particular his operas, of a comparable length and structure to Messiah – were written in similar timeframes.

Born in Germany in 1685, Handel became a naturalised British subject in 1727 and is celebrated as one of the greatest composers of his era. Aside from his Messiah, he is probably best-known for his coronation anthems including Zadok the Priest (which has been played at the coronation of every British monarch since that of George II in 1727). ADOPTED £495

75. Jan Jansson, Novus Atlas; Amsterdam, 1646-1650 – L.IIIA.12-16 One of the 17th century’s leading cartographers, Jan Jansson had already produced what was known as the Hondius Atlas in partnership with his brother-in-law, Henricus Hondius, when he decided to expand and develop it further into the Novus Atlas as we know it today. Published between 1646 and 1656, the Cathedral Library holds five of the original eleven volumes, including volume 4 with its collection of ‘English County maps’.

The Novus Atlas contains the work of around one hundred credited authors and engravers, and claims to include descriptions of “most of the cities of the world”, the waterworld, the Ancient world, and, in volume eleven, the ‘Atlas of the Heavens’. All five volumes held by Durham Cathedral Library are bound in full vellum which is starting to come away at the spine; it requires rebacking and remounting in order to protect both the valuable maps contained in the volume, and the gold leaf edging each page. Some repair of the maps and plans is also necessary. ALL FIVE VOLUMES ADOPTED £580

76. Archimedes, Works; Paris, 1615 – H.II.42 Greek mathematician, astronomer, inventor and engineer Archimedes of Syracuse is regarded as one of the greatest scientists of classical antiquity. His advances in mathematics anticipated modern calculus, and he was able to propose and prove a number of theorems, including methods for calculating the area of a circle and the volume of a sphere, and an accurate approximation of pi. Despite orders for him not to be harmed during the Siege of Syracuse, Archimedes was killed by a Roman soldier; his (now unknown) tomb was said to bear a sphere and a cylinder to reflect his mathematical achievements.

This volume was deposited in Durham Cathedral Library within fifty years of its printing; a handwritten note on the title page informs us that it comprised part of the Cathedral collections by July 1661. Its contemporary, pasteboard binding has almost completely worn away from the spine, exposing the six raised bands onto which the sections of the book were originally sewn. The panels have also suffered some damage. Through the Adopt-a-Book project, a specialist conservation binder will be able to mend the damaged boards and produce a new spine, preserving the volume from falling further into disrepair. ADOPTED £675

Adopt a Book

Durham Cathedral's Refectory Library has recently undergone extensive refurbishment, and contains over thirty thousand early printed books covering a variety of subjects.

Adopt A Book is an initiative which gives you the opportunity to restore a book from the Cathedral's unique collection so that it can be preserved for future readers, researchers, historians, and members of the public.

All costs go towards the conservation work and administration associated with the repair process.

If you would like to adopt any of the books featured in this catalogue or would like to find out how you could contribute to the continuing care of Durham Cathedral’s early printed book collection please contact:

Matthew Kirk Relationship & Development Manager Tel: 0191 374 4055 Email: [email protected]

The Cathedral Office The College Durham DH1 3EH www.durhamcathedral.co.uk @DurhamCathedral @BedesBooks @DCathPatrons #AdoptaBook All images copyright Chapter of Durham Cathedral ©