Admirable Curiosities, Rarities, And Wonders, In England, Scotland, And Ireland. by Richard Burton - 1811

London - Machell Stace, 1811 Book. Very Good. Hardcover. Signed by Author(s). First edition.. An illustrated19th century 'new edition' of the 17th century historicalwork by Nathaniel Crouch - the English printerand booksellerwho wrote under the pseudonym Richard Burton. Crouch was considered by later writers to be something of a plagiarist, taking material from other books before publishing them himself. However, one 19th century commentator, Robert Chambers,argued that he spotted the elitism of learned works, and effectively popularised their contents. This copy is direct from the Regency library of Elizabeth Greenly, later Lady Elizabeth Coffin Greenly. The title page carries her signature, dated 1811. Her bookplate can be found to the front pastedown. Elizabeth Greenly, born at Titley Court, Herefordshire, was a noted and varied collector. She kept prolific diaries from 1784 until her death in 1839 which included her responses to current events and occasions in her daily life. Among the diaries many names and anecdotes of celebrities of the time appear, including Lord Byron, Marie Antoinette, Mary Wollstonecraft and Hannah More. She was known to comment on customs of foreign countries to which she and her friends had travelled, and had a keen interest in scientific discoveries and advancements including medicine and archaeology. The Greenly library contents show Elizabeth Greenly's numerous interests including: Welsh causes, Science, topography, travel, Bibliana and literature, particularly female poets. The library contains many first editions of contemporary works, and many are signed or contain her bookplate. The library contained over 1000 volumes which show the diversity and depth of her interests and give an insight into the life of this fascinating collector. Condition: In half calf, with marbled boards. Externally smart, with some rubbing to the spine and the extremities of the boards. The front hinge is a little tender. There is a bookplate to the front pastedown, and a contemporary ink signature to the title page. Internally firmly bound. The pages aregenerallyclean, withoddspot. Overall: VERY GOOD.