The Early Oxford Press / A Bibliography of Printing and Publishing at Oxford, '1468'-1640; With Notes, Appendixes and Illustrations - Falconer Madan

1638.

Impr. 172: 1638: (eights) 12^o: pp. [24] + 255 + [1]: p. 11 beg. affaires, distraction: English Roman. Contents:—p. (1) title: (2) verses “On the Frontispiece.”: (3) an engraved title, see below: (5–6) “The Translator to the Reader”: (7–24) complimentary verses by friends of the translator, whose initials and Christian name are incidentally mentioned: 1–255, the book.

See Wood’s Fasti Oxon., ed. Bliss, i. 301. The translator of the Τὰ κατὰ Λευκίππην καὶ Κλειτοφῶντα was Anthony Hodges, of New College. Wood refers to an impression of this book in 1638 without the commendatory verses: this would be no doubt an early issue. The engraved title is a fine one by W. Marshall, in which the words of the ordinary title, with impr. 173, are on a shell held by two mermaids; behind is a storm-tossed ship with the two lovers on board and Cupid in the stern, with the city of “Alexandria” in the background. This title was probably intended to be printed on the second leaf of the first section: but as it is, the frontispiece is on an inserted leaf, and the true second leaf is torn out. This book seems to be still the only English translation of the romance, except that in Bohn’s library.

Impr. 152: 1638: sm 4^o: pp. [16], signn. A-B⁴: sign. B1^r beg. buried any: Pica English. Contents:—p. sign. A1^r, title: A2^r-A3^r, Oath, Charge and Directions: A3^v-B3^r, the Articles in two divisions: B3^v, directions: B4, not seen.

3. Burton, Robert. THE | Anatomy of | melancholy | [&c., exactly as 1628 B, being from the same plate with “fift” instead of “thirde,” and different date.]

Impr. 70: 1638: (fours) folio: pp. [14] + 78 + [2] + 723 (after 218 are two unnumbered leaves) + [9]: pp. 11 beg. judgement and in Germany, 601 sate up late: English Roman. Contents:—exactly as in the 1632 edition, except that the “Synopsis of the first partition” precedes the poem “ad librum suum”, the “analysis of the third partition” occupies pp. 399–401, and the partition extends to p. 723: while there is no colophon, there being no p. (10) at end.

See Wood’s Ath. Oxon., ed. Bliss, iii. 653 and 1621 B. There is a note before the Errata in which the author says that the book was begun to be printed not long before at Edinburgh “sed à typographis nostris illicò suppressa, Londini mox illorum cum venia protelata, Oxoniæ demum perfecta.” Accordingly signn. A-X x are not Oxford printing, but presumably from Edinburgh type: at p. 347 begins Oxford printing, the prefatory matter being also Oxford work. It would appear that some Edinburgh printers began a reprint, that the Oxford printers interfered and suppressed it, that with their consent the part printed in Scotland was not destroyed but protelata, prolonged, given a further lease of life, at London, and finally brought to Oxford and completed. The woodcuts and details of printing point to the division being before p. 347. The signatures of the first sheet are nil, § 2, §, § 2, § 3, nil (!), not counting the engraved title which should occur between the first and second leaf.