An English dictionary, explaining the difficult terms that are used in divinity, husbandry, physick, philosophy, law, navigation, mathematicks, and other arts and sciences. Containing many thousands of hard words (and proper names of places) more than are in any other English dictionary or expositor. Together with the etymological derivation
London: printed for R. and J. Bonwick, and R. Wilkin, in St. Paul's Churchyard [et al.], 1724. Small 8vo, pp. [10], [338]; lexicon in triple column, full contemporary paneled calf with a scalloped border and a double-ruled border all around, red morocco label on spine; joints a little cracked, text block relatively clean. This copy without the preliminary advertisement leaf, but in our experience this is not in all copies. This is the penultimate edition of Coles, first published in 1676. Coles (?1640-1680) was the author of a number of "useful and necessary books for the instruction of beginners," among which were his popular English-Latin dictionary (London, 1677) which was still in use in schools even after the arrival of Ainsworth's Thesaurus in 1736. "Still in the "hard words" tradition, Coles included thousands of "old words," obsolete ones from Chaucer's day. His dictionary contained twenty-five thousand words, eight thousand more than the last, augmented edition of Phillips. He shortened Phillips' already brief definitions in order to include more words and more etymological information. Coles did break new ground in including cant (thieves' argot) and dialectical terms. These, taken from other specialized dictionaries, had never before been included in a general English dictionary" (Landau, Dictionaries, p. 43). Alston V, 73. Item #64359
Price: $500.00
