CAMDEN’S IMPORTANT 1630 HISTORY OF ELIZABETH I, “AMONG THE BEST HISTORICAL PRODUCTIONS COMPOSED BY AN ENGLISHMAN” (HUME),1630 FIRST COMPLETE EDITION IN ENGLISH

(ELIZABETH I) CAMDEN, William. The Historie of the Life and Reigne of the most Renowned and Victorious Princesse Elizabeth, Late Queene of England. London: Benjamin Fisher, 1630. Small folio, contemporary full polished dark brown calf gilt, raised bands. Housed in a custom clamshell box.

First complete edition in English of Camden’s important history of Elizabeth I, “among the best historical productions which have yet been composed by an Englishman” (Hume), with fine engraved frontispiece portrait of the Queen. With superb provenance from the Newbattle Abbey library of the Marquess of Lothian.

This “most exquisite history” by the greatest Renaissance historian of England (Lowndes, 358), granted William Camden full “claim to be considered as the founder, not merely of antiquarian studies, but also of the study of modern history” (PMM 101). Camden’s “friend and patron, Lord Burleigh, had in 1597, a year before his death, urged Camden to compile a history of the reign of Elizabeth. His lordship had carefully noted the events and actors of the time, and his information and literary records were of invaluable assistance to the historian.” In his History of England Hume notes that this work “is written with simplicity of expression, very rare in that age, and with a regard to truth. It would not, perhaps, be too much to affirm that it is among the best historical productions which have yet been composed by any Englishman.” “With William Camden the chronicle reached its zenith” (Kunitz & Haycraft, 82). Although the first part of his work (covering 1558, the first year of her reign, through the end of 1588) was published in Latin in 1615, as Annales Rerum Anglicarum, Camden requested that the final part (from 1589 through her death in 1603) be published posthumously. He died in 1623 and the final part appeared in 1625, again in Latin. The English translation of the first part appeared in 1625 and of the second part in 1629. This 1630 edition is the first complete edition in English of the entire work. Second issue, with title page cancel. With splendid engraved frontispiece portrait of Queen Elizabeth, engraved historiated initials, ornamental head- and tailpieces. STC 4500.5. See Wing C363A; CBEL I:827. Armorial bookplate of Sir William Marquess of Lothian, and bookplate of Newbattle Abbey Library. Founded in 1140, Newbattle Abbey near Edinburgh was securalised in 1587, when it became the ancestral home of the Marquesses of Lothian until 1937. Small inked notations to front free endpaper.

Text and frontispieces fresh and bright, small closed margin tear (IV:125), slight rubbing to boards, front joint starting but sound. An exceptionally nice copy, scarce in contemporary calf.