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 Peter Parker at the Leg and Star over against the Royal Exchange in Cornhil, 1708. Small 8vo, pp. [336]; A-2T⁴; lexicon in triple column, full contemporary paneled calf, neatly rebacked; text lightly toned, else generally a very good and sound copy. Coles (?1640-1680) was the author of a number of "useful and necessary books for the instruction of beginners," among which were his popular A Dictionary English-Latin and Latin-English (London 1677) which was still in use in schools even after the arrival of Ainsworth's Thesaurus in 1736; and An English Dictionary (London, 1676). "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, 70; Kennedy 6202. Item #64505
Price: $650.00
