1804 1st Edition
CELTIC RESEARCHES
ON THE ORIGIN, TRADITIONS & LANGUAGE,
OF THE ANCIENT BRITONS;
WITH SOME INTRODUCTORY SKETCHES,
ON PRIMITIVE SOCIETY
A substantial and attractive first edition of Edward “Celtic” Davies’s most influential work: an ambitious Romantic-era investigation into the origins, language, mythology and inherited traditions of the ancient Britons.
Drawing upon Welsh and Irish linguistic material, classical authors, biblical history and contemporary antiquarian scholarship, Davies sought to reconstruct the migrations, beliefs and bardic culture of the early Celtic peoples. Although many of his historical and philological conclusions have since been superseded, Celtic Researches remains an important document in the development of Celtic studies, comparative philology, Druidic revivalism and British Romantic antiquarianism.
The volume includes two engraved plates illustrating Bardic alphabets and related systems of letters. Presented in an appealing old quarter-calf binding with marbled boards, gilt-decorated spine and red leather title label.
By Edward Davies
Format: Hardcover, Royal octavo (8vo 6 1⁄4 × 10 in 159 × 254 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Language: English
Published By: Printed for the Author, and sold by J. Booth, Duke-Street, Portland-Place,
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Very Good - A sound and attractive old quarter-calf copy. Marbled-paper boards rubbed, faded and scuffed, with wear at the extremities and corners. Calf spine and sides rubbed and marked from age and use, with wear at the head and foot; gilt rules, decorative floral tools and red leather title label remain present and legible.
Binding and text block firm and tight. Internally generally clean and well preserved, with light age-toning, occasional scattered spotting, minor handling marks and some natural waviness to the paper. Printing remains strong and clearly legible. The two engraved alphabet plates are present, with light age-related spotting and handling wear.
A handsome and collectable first edition of an influential work of Welsh antiquarianism, Celtic philology and Druidic history.
Collation: x, lxxiii, 561 pp., with two engraved plates positioned in relation to pages 277 and 337. Prelims include To The King, Preface and List of Subscribers. Complete.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
References:
Library of Congress digitised copy at Internet Archive
HathiTrust catalogue record
Dictionary of Welsh Biography
Blake Quarterly
Author Bio: Edward “Celtic” Davies (1756–1831) was a Welsh Anglican clergyman, poet and antiquary. Curate of Olveston, Gloucestershire, when this work appeared, he later became rector of Bishopston in Gower. His writings contributed significantly to early nineteenth-century interest in Welsh bardic culture, Celtic mythology and Druidism. Influential in their period, his historical and linguistic theories are now valued principally as examples of Romantic-era antiquarian thought. Davies’s work also attracted the attention of William Blake and has subsequently been discussed within Blake scholarship.
Illustrated By: Anonymous
Illustrator Bio: No engraver is identified in the volume. The two unsigned engraved plates reproduce Bardic letters, vowels, consonants and related alphabetic forms discussed in the text.
Synopsis: Celtic Researches combines introductory essays on primitive society with an extensive inquiry into the origins and traditions of the ancient Britons. Davies compares Welsh and Irish vocabulary with Hebrew, Greek, Latin and other languages, using etymology, mythology and historical analogy to propose ancient relationships between peoples and traditions.
The work ranges across the dispersal of nations after the Flood, early forms of government and religion, the origins of the Britons, the development of Celtic languages, Welsh poetic remains and the supposed doctrines of the Druids. Davies attempted to reconcile Celtic mythology with biblical and classical history—a method regarded by modern scholarship as highly conjectural, but one that exercised considerable influence upon nineteenth-century ideas of Britain’s Celtic past.
SKU: BTETM0001972
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
1804 1st Edition
CELTIC RESEARCHES
ON THE ORIGIN, TRADITIONS & LANGUAGE,
OF THE ANCIENT BRITONS;
WITH SOME INTRODUCTORY SKETCHES,
ON PRIMITIVE SOCIETY
A substantial and attractive first edition of Edward “Celtic” Davies’s most influential work: an ambitious Romantic-era investigation into the origins, language, mythology and inherited traditions of the ancient Britons.
Drawing upon Welsh and Irish linguistic material, classical authors, biblical history and contemporary antiquarian scholarship, Davies sought to reconstruct the migrations, beliefs and bardic culture of the early Celtic peoples. Although many of his historical and philological conclusions have since been superseded, Celtic Researches remains an important document in the development of Celtic studies, comparative philology, Druidic revivalism and British Romantic antiquarianism.
The volume includes two engraved plates illustrating Bardic alphabets and related systems of letters. Presented in an appealing old quarter-calf binding with marbled boards, gilt-decorated spine and red leather title label.
By Edward Davies
Format: Hardcover, Royal octavo (8vo 6 1⁄4 × 10 in 159 × 254 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Language: English
Published By: Printed for the Author, and sold by J. Booth, Duke-Street, Portland-Place,
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Very Good - A sound and attractive old quarter-calf copy. Marbled-paper boards rubbed, faded and scuffed, with wear at the extremities and corners. Calf spine and sides rubbed and marked from age and use, with wear at the head and foot; gilt rules, decorative floral tools and red leather title label remain present and legible.
Binding and text block firm and tight. Internally generally clean and well preserved, with light age-toning, occasional scattered spotting, minor handling marks and some natural waviness to the paper. Printing remains strong and clearly legible. The two engraved alphabet plates are present, with light age-related spotting and handling wear.
A handsome and collectable first edition of an influential work of Welsh antiquarianism, Celtic philology and Druidic history.
Collation: x, lxxiii, 561 pp., with two engraved plates positioned in relation to pages 277 and 337. Prelims include To The King, Preface and List of Subscribers. Complete.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
References:
Library of Congress digitised copy at Internet Archive
HathiTrust catalogue record
Dictionary of Welsh Biography
Blake Quarterly
Author Bio: Edward “Celtic” Davies (1756–1831) was a Welsh Anglican clergyman, poet and antiquary. Curate of Olveston, Gloucestershire, when this work appeared, he later became rector of Bishopston in Gower. His writings contributed significantly to early nineteenth-century interest in Welsh bardic culture, Celtic mythology and Druidism. Influential in their period, his historical and linguistic theories are now valued principally as examples of Romantic-era antiquarian thought. Davies’s work also attracted the attention of William Blake and has subsequently been discussed within Blake scholarship.
Illustrated By: Anonymous
Illustrator Bio: No engraver is identified in the volume. The two unsigned engraved plates reproduce Bardic letters, vowels, consonants and related alphabetic forms discussed in the text.
Synopsis: Celtic Researches combines introductory essays on primitive society with an extensive inquiry into the origins and traditions of the ancient Britons. Davies compares Welsh and Irish vocabulary with Hebrew, Greek, Latin and other languages, using etymology, mythology and historical analogy to propose ancient relationships between peoples and traditions.
The work ranges across the dispersal of nations after the Flood, early forms of government and religion, the origins of the Britons, the development of Celtic languages, Welsh poetic remains and the supposed doctrines of the Druids. Davies attempted to reconcile Celtic mythology with biblical and classical history—a method regarded by modern scholarship as highly conjectural, but one that exercised considerable influence upon nineteenth-century ideas of Britain’s Celtic past.
SKU: BTETM0001972
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
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