Description
Excerpt from The Countess of Pembroke''s Arcadia: The Original Quarto Edition (1590) In Photographic Facsimile, With a Bibliographical Introduction
The obligation of English literature to Sir Philip Sidney, perhaps more as defender and patron of poetry than a poet, would be itself sufficient to justify the present issue of his work in its original shape, if there were other reason to be adduced. But the editio princeps of the Arcadia has become very scarce it is a fine specimen of quaint old typography, different, though not in the sense generally asserted, from all later editions - a fact which attaches a peculiar value to it. I am inclined to believe that the text as the quarto gives more likely the original one of the author than that of the folio.
When asked to supply an Introduction to the present volume, I first thought of treating of the Arcadia as a specimen of the English pastoral novel, and of thus realizing a plan I conceived several years ago. The limited space, however, at my disposal, no less than the consideration that I might detract by my humble addi tion from the value of the work itself, induced me to abandon this plan, and to give instead a bibliographical account of the book during the past three centuries.'' It is with great pleasure I express my gratitude to E. Maunde Thompson, Esq, the Principal Librarian of the British Museum, for kindly permitting Mr. Charles Praetorius to photograph the copy of the edition of 1590 in the Grenville Collection. I am greatly obliged to Mr. R. E. Graves for valuable information respecting various copies of the Arcadia in the Britwell Library.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
The obligation of English literature to Sir Philip Sidney, perhaps more as defender and patron of poetry than a poet, would be itself sufficient to justify the present issue of his work in its original shape, if there were other reason to be adduced. But the editio princeps of the Arcadia has become very scarce it is a fine specimen of quaint old typography, different, though not in the sense generally asserted, from all later editions - a fact which attaches a peculiar value to it. I am inclined to believe that the text as the quarto gives more likely the original one of the author than that of the folio.
When asked to supply an Introduction to the present volume, I first thought of treating of the Arcadia as a specimen of the English pastoral novel, and of thus realizing a plan I conceived several years ago. The limited space, however, at my disposal, no less than the consideration that I might detract by my humble addi tion from the value of the work itself, induced me to abandon this plan, and to give instead a bibliographical account of the book during the past three centuries.'' It is with great pleasure I express my gratitude to E. Maunde Thompson, Esq, the Principal Librarian of the British Museum, for kindly permitting Mr. Charles Praetorius to photograph the copy of the edition of 1590 in the Grenville Collection. I am greatly obliged to Mr. R. E. Graves for valuable information respecting various copies of the Arcadia in the Britwell Library.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Details
Publisher - Forgotten Books
Language - English
Hardback
Contributors
Author
Philip Sidney
Published Date -
ISBN - 9780331753196
Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 4.2 cm
Page Count - 786
Paperback
Contributors
Author
Philip Sidney
Published Date -
ISBN - 9781333682293
Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 4.2 cm
Page Count - 788
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