“AS VALUABLE AS IT IS AMUSING,” “THE FIRST ENGLISH HANDBOOK ON CONTINENTAL TRAVEL”: RARE FIRST EDITION OF CORYATE’S CRUDITIES, 1611, WITH SIX WOODCUT PLATES AND RARE ERRATA SLIP

CORYATE, Thomas. Coryats Crudities. Hastily gobled up in five Moneths travells… London: Printed by W[illiam] S[tansby, for the Author], 1611. Octavo, mid18th-century full brown calf gilt sympathtically rebacked in elaborately gilt-decorated calf, raised bands, black morocco spine label, original marbled endpapers.

Rare first edition of the legendary traveler Thomas Coryate’s “lively and informative” account (Baugh et al., 623) of his prolific travels through the major cities of 17th-century Europe, “the first English handbook on continental travel,” long coveted by collectors, illustrated with six woodcut plates (two folding), with very rare errata leaf. The copy of prominent book collector Cortland Field Bishop, with his bookplate, and also the copy of famous New York diarist George Templeton Strong, with three owner signatures.

"Thomas Coryate (1577?-1617) studied but did not take a degree at Oxford; [of small stature], he eventually he became a kind of jester in the court of James I, where his learning and wit brought him a small income….Coryate probably acquired some property after his father's death, which allowed him to embark on a tour through Europe in 1608. He visited forty-five countries in five months and produced a journal of his travels…the first English handbook on continental travel" (Kaplan, The Merchant of Venice). Coryate traveled, by his reckoning, some 1,975 miles, most of which he covered by foot, Coryate found it difficult to find a publisher for his account, so "he applied to every person of eminence whom he knew, and many whom he can scarcely have known at all, to write commentary verses upon himself, his book, and his travels, and by his unwearied pertinacity and unblushing importunity contrived to get together the most extraordinary collection of testimonials which have ever been gathered in a single sheaf. More than sixty of the most brilliant and illustrious literati of the time [including Drayton, Chapman, Donne and Jonson, who wrote of Coryate "he is a great and bold carpenter of words"] were among the contributors to this strange farrago, the wits vying with one another in their attempts to produce mock heroic verses, turning Coryate to solemn ridicule. Ben Jonson undertook to edit these amusing panegyrics, which actually fill 108 quarto pages [of the book]… It was the first, and for long remained the only, handbook for continental travel" (DNB). "He had, and still has, a paradoxical reputation. On the one hand, he was a kind of comedian, a learned buffoon, a butt for courtly wits and poets like John Donne and Ben Jonson, who both knew him well. On the other hand, he was the immensely tough and courageous traveler, whose remarkable journeys through Europe and Asia were made almost entirely on foot….The Crudities gives an exhaustive account of his travels in Europe, but his long peregrinations in the East are more sparsely documented" (Charles Nicholl).

In 1612, with the success of the Crudities, Coryate set out on even more ambitious journey, a 5000-mile trek by foot to India, where he died in 1617 of an illness in the port city Surat. "He is often credited with introducing the table fork to England, and his description of how the Italians shielded themselves from the sun resulted in the word 'umbrella' being introduced into English… This volume gives a vivid picture of life in Europe during the time; it is particularly important to music historians for giving extraordinary details of the activities of the Venetian School, one of the most famous and progressive contemporary musical movements in Europe" (View from the Bow). With all plates: elaborately engraved title page by William Hole (often lacking), full-page armorial woodcut (the plume of feathers of Henry, Prince of Wales, leaf b4v) and four more woodcut plates (including two folding); also with decorative woodcut head- and tailpieces and initials. With very rare errata leaf. STC 5808. Cox I:97. Lowndes, 528. Langland to Wither 49. Morocco bookplate of Cortland Field Bishop, the famous book collector. In addition to his fame in book and art collecting, Bishop was also a rather adventurous personality who distinguished himself as a pioneer aviator, balloonist, autoist, and traveler. Tiny owner signatures of G.T. Strong including on engraved title page and title page, better known as George Templeton Strong. Strong was a well-known American lawyer and diarist who faithfully chronicled the Civil War years from his home in New York City. Strong helped to found both the United States Sanitary Commission and the Union League Club of New York, endeavors that gave him an insider view of the both the War and New York politics. His diary, over 2000 pages long, is regarded as a crucial source of firsthand knowledge on both the North during the War and New York City during the 19th century. Early ink owner signature. Early ink title page owner signatures. A few stray ink marks to interior.

Engraved title page remargined, small rub to date on letterpress title page, interior generally clean with repair to X2; expert restoration to boards. An exceptionally handsome copy. Rare.