Marrin's Bookshop

Synopsis

[this work includes a minute and interesting account of the ancient and present state of kent, civil, ecclesiastical, and military, from the earliest times to this century, with all the improvements of the arts, of civilization, and luxury. it comprehends all the chief harbours, bays, rivers, and docks, forests, hills, valleys, medicinal springs, and other curiosities both of nature and art ; and not only takes notice of all the manors and seats in the county, but also points out the old military ways, camps, castles, and other remarkable ruins of roman, saxon danish, and anglo norman antiquity. it shows particularly the estates that were abbey lands, and mentions the manufacture and trade, the privileges and customs, the principal buildings and charitable foundations of the two cities, corporations, and the most noted villages, with their distances from london in measured miles. the ancient and obscure terms of the feudal law, and the obsolete tenures and customs relative to it, are also explained].

Item Description

FIRST EDITION. 8vo. v-xxxvi + 828 pp. LACKS p. i-iv, including title page. Although there is one irregularity in the register (C signature) and several in the pagination, all pages from v are present. Pages 733-34, 587-90 (with small missing areas), 827-28, and part of 395-96, have been reinforced with Japanese tissue. Rebound and rebacked in black buckram, gilt, with new endpapers. Some age related wear, foxing and staining, but otherwise a good, if slightly incomplete and repaired copy. Public library stamps on endpapers and early signature on last page. Very scarce work containing much useful information not found elsewhere. A combination of county history and up-to-date commercial information, which at this date is hard to come by. The title says that Mr. Seymour was 'Teacher of Classics etc. at Canterbury.' The subscribers' list at the end has just over 300 names, so probably less than 500 were printed. (Smith, p.8).