Wiltshire. (From) Drayton's Poly-Olbion, with the Accompanying Poetic Text.
England: 1614. Hard Cover. Good. Item #028870
With the map of Wiltshere (Wiltshire) acting as a frontispiece-title, illustrated by fanciful and descriptively allegorical figures representing the towns and rivers; followed by pages 39 - 54,"The Third Song" of this poem and the complete section dealing with this locale. The prefatory "Argument" (in older English spelling usage) mentions Stonehenge, Avon & 'faire Willy,' Avalon and Arthur's grave. This is a segment of text by British poet Michael Drayton (1563 - 1631) This work was "...his longest poem, Poly-Olbion, or, A chorographicall description of all the tracts, rivers, mountaines, forests, and other parts … of Great Britaine. He had been working on this well-researched magnum opus at least since 1598....Drayton's celebration of British history, legends, cities, hills, vales, and rivers suggests a nation with an identity, realized or potential, beyond any one conqueror's scope..." Accomplished with "...maps and copious annotations by Selden that comment with amused but friendly scepticism on the poem's legends and descriptions...he repays the reader, especially one looking less for the stolid moralism or simple patriotism with which he has been too often identified than for sardonic melancholy, political resistance, airy delicacy, and access to realms invisible to the merely well born or rich..." (Anne Lake Prescott in the ODNB) Previous owner initials on front endpaper. Approx. 7 1/2" x 10 3/4" size; bound in c. 19th century brown raised-rib textured cloth, with paper title label on top cover. Binding with edge, tips wear and chipping to spine cover; securely sewn. The map of Wiltshire is a trimmed one-half of one of the double-page maps from Drayton's work and has been laid-down to a backing sheet, acting as the frontis to the text. With old discoloration and spots, map darkened some & frayed at edges; overall, in about good condition.
Price: $350.00