Biographia Britannica: Or, the Lives of the Most Eminent Persons Who Have Flourished in Great Britain and Ireland, from the Earliest Ages, to the Present Times: Collected from the Best Authorities, Printed and Manuscript, and Digested in the Manner of Mr. Bayle's Historical and Critical Dictionary. The Second Edition, with Corrections, Enlargements, and the Addition of New Lives: By Andrew Kippis, D.D. and F.S.A. With the Assistance of Other Gentlemen. London: Printed by W. and A. Strahan; for C. Bathurst, et al., MDCCLXXVIII (1778) - 1793. 5 vols, folios.
-------------------
Biographia Britannica was a multi-volume biographical compendium, "the most ambitious attempt in the latter half of the eighteenth century to document the lives of notable British men and women". The first edition, edited by William Oldys (1696–1761) until his death, appeared in 6 volumes (the sixth in two parts, the second sometimes catalogued as volume 7) between 1747 and 1766. The editor of the two parts of volume 6 (1763 & 1766) is unknown. Five volumes of an incomplete second edition, edited by Andrew Kippis (1725–1795) with the assistance of Joseph Towers (1737–1799), appeared between 1778 and 1793, and cover names commencing Aa through to Fa; a sixth volume was prepared for publication, and may have been published, but now seems to be lost.
-------------------
Provenance:
Bookplate of Lord Sandys.
Two envelopes with the original wax seals still attached, dated 1836. The two seals differ in design, displaying two different coats of arms.
-------------------
Including persons alphabetically A through to F (last one being Fastolff in volume five). This set is complete as published, as described above, despite ending at Fa.
Size: 256 x 378 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
[(2), t.p., 1ff., vii-xxi, 1pp., 697pp., (2)]; [(2), t.p., 1ff., vii-x, 4pp., 8pp., 3pp., 708pp., (2)]; [(2), t.p., 1ff., vii-viii, 9pp., 15pp., 3pp., 702pp., (2)]; [(2), t.p., 1ff., vii-ix, 3pp., 4pp., 8pp., 3pp., 664pp., (2)]; [(2), t.p., 1ff., 2pp., 2pp., 4pp., 2pp., 3pp., 7pp., 2pp., 3pp., 710pp., (2)].
Half brown calf over marbled paper backed boards with tooled labels in compartments to the spines between gilt bands, volume numbers in gilt in other compartments. Bindings rubbed and scuffed with some wear. Wear to extremities of the bindings, particularly headcaps and tailcaps, some of which are partially detached or lacking. Shelf and edge wear. Shelf lean to all volumes but remain upright as a set. All boards attached with some wear to joints and hinges, some cracked or starting, thus somewhat fragile. Page edges yellow in colour. Armorial bookplate to front pastedown in each volume. Pencil shelf mark to ffep in each volume. Endpapers as well as the first and last few leaves foxed. Small tear to front blank in volume five. Text blocks very clean with some light edge toning and occasional foxing.
[OCLC 181802996].
