Lot 211: Selden, John

Selden, John
Titles of honor. London: by William Stansby for Richard Whitakers, 1631. second edition, folio, title-page in red and black, woodcut illustrations in the text, contemporary sprinkled calf, a little war at head and tail, slight spotting on the title-page.

Note: Moule 131; STC 22178. First published in 1614 after his call to the Bar, this second enlarged edition begins with a eulogy by Ben Jonson. In the first part he deals with the titles and dignities of emperors, kings, and other rulers, beginning with the inquiry whether there were kings before the flood. In the second part he deals with inferior titles, commencing with those of heirs-apparent to thrones; and finally discusses feminine titles, honorary attributes such as ‘clarissimus’ and ‘illustris,’ and the laws of precedence. (DNB). It established itself as an indispensable classic in the field.