John Selden

This is the first fully annotated edition of The Discourse of John Selden, Esq. (previously known as Table Talk) since 1892, the very first based on a critical scrutiny of twenty-one surviving manuscripts, fifteen more than any previous editor knew existed. This expanded census of manuscripts demonstrates robust scribal publication. Selden's extraordinary talent for lucidly expressed analogy and his mordant wit and wise opinions on 155 topics earned him praise from Dr. Johnson and Coleridge. The work, composed in the 1650s, was considered so irreverent that it remained in manuscript for more than thirty years before it could be printed. A long-serving member of Parliament and a minority lay member of the Westminster Assembly of Divines, Selden provides intimate access to the political and religious debates of mid-seventeenth-century England, but he also addresses its high and low culture. Some of the topics are complex and require extensive contextual annotation, but the paragraphs that provide the greatest pleasure are the timeless and still timely ones that require only light annotation or none at all.

The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars. The Age of Enlightenment profoundly enriched religious and philosophical understanding and continues to influence present-day thinking. Works collected here include masterpieces by David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as religious sermons and moral debates on the issues of the day, such as the slave trade. The Age of Reason saw conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism transformed into one between faith and logic -- a debate that continues in the twenty-first century.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++Bodleian Library (Oxford)T181114The dedication to Charles James Fox is printed in red, and dated August 30, 1789. London: printed for E. Jeffery, 1789. xx,163, 1]p., plate; 12

The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars. Rich in titles on English life and social history, this collection spans the world as it was known to eighteenth-century historians and explorers. Titles include a wealth of travel accounts and diaries, histories of nations from throughout the world, and maps and charts of a world that was still being discovered. Students of the War of American Independence will find fascinating accounts from the British side of conflict. ++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++British LibraryT035003Text and register continuous. With a final advertisement leaf. London: printed for William Bray, 1711?] 24,33-78, 2]p.; 8

The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars. This collection reveals the history of English common law and Empire law in a vastly changing world of British expansion. Dominating the legal field is the Commentaries of the Law of England by Sir William Blackstone, which first appeared in 1765. Reference works such as almanacs and catalogues continue to educate us by revealing the day-to-day workings of society.++++The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification: ++++British LibraryT112668The editor of 'Britton' = Robert Kelham. p.255 misnumbered 25. 'Fleta' is a commentary on English law. Pages 58 and 59 omitted from pagination. Text and register continuous despite pagination. London: sold by J. Worrall, and B. Tovey, 1771. 2], xii,276 i.e.274]p.; 8

The Table Talk of John Selden is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1892. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.

The lawyer, politician and antiquarian John Selden (1584–1654) made his name as an expert on the ancient laws of England, though he was equally at home with classical and Judaic studies: Grotius described him as 'the glory of the English nation', and his advice was sought on all manner of legal and moral problems from tithes to cross-dressing. This collection of his remarks on many topics was compiled by his amanuensis Richard Milward and first published in 1689. Reissued here is a version annotated and with a biographical preface by the literary scholar Samuel Weller Singer (1783–1858) and published in 1847. The topics of Selden's discourse are arranged alphabetically, from 'abbies' to 'zelots', via Christmas, juggling, marriage, and witches. As Singer says of the book, 'it is impossible to open it without finding some important fact or discussion, something practically useful and applicable to the business of life'.