The Cely Letters 1472 -1488

Oxford University Press For the Early English Text Society, London New York Toronto, 1975. First Edition. Hardcover (Original Cloth). Very Good Condition/Good. Illustrator: Illustrated. list of plates, introduction by editor, notes, bibliography, glossary and index of names. Photographic frontispiece – being a reproduction of letter 241 from William Cely, and the text is illustrated with another four reproductions of other letters. Brown coloured cloth covered boards with self embossed decoration to the book edges and gilt coloured embossed decoration in titles to the front panel and gilt coloured titles to the back strip. Plain text dustwrapper with black and white coloured titles to the front panel and black coloured titles to the back strip. "This is the first complete edition of the Cely Letters, a fact which helps explain why the correspondence has been rather neglected by students of the Fifteenth Century. The letters are of special interest to students of English for the evidence of pronunciation, syntax and idiom among members of the merchant class, and they have unique importance for the social and economic historian because the Cely papers are the only sizeable collection of private mediaeval preface paper known to survive in England." -- from front fold over panel blurb. Rubbing to the book corners with some flecking to the edges of the front panel and a little to the body of the rear panel. The rear edge shows some adhesion, white, of the dustwrapper. Uniform age toning of the text block edges and pages and scattered foxing to the text block edges. Previous owner's name to the top edge of the front paste-down. Creasing of the dustwrapper edges, with rubbing of the dustwrapper panels, either side of the back strip and fold over creases. Fading to the back strip. Some dust marks to the top edge of the rear fold over edge. Light foxing to the verso of the dustwrapper with stains along the rear fold over crease – which also shows some tearing the result of pulling away from the underlying boards. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. [7], VIII - XXVII, [4], 4 - 365, [18 – of which 16 are further titles from Early English Text Society] pages,. Please refer to accompanying picture (s). Illustrator: Illustrated. Quantity Available: 1. Shipped Weight: Under 1 kilo. Category: Language & Linguistics; Sociology; Britain/UK; Medieval 10th to 15thc; History. ISBN: 0197222757. ISBN/EAN: 9780197222751. Inventory No: 0122869. . 9780197222751