A COLLECTION OF EMBLEMES,
by George Wither, is probably the most
beautiful emblem book published in England. But until now
neither the facsimile editions nor those on microfiche have made
it easily accessible to the modern reader. We believe that this
edition, augmented with indices, notes and an analysis of the
emblems in Spanish and English, manages to do so.
Wither used the plates of the two hundred engravings of Gabriel
Rollenhagen, gathered from his two works, Nucleus emblematum
selectissimorum (Arnheim, 1611) and Emblematum centuria
secunda (Arnheim, 1613). They are circular picturae
that present a symbol or group of symbols in the foreground,
while other details and scenes in miniature, known as fatti,
emerge from the background. Surrounding the engravings is an
inscriptio normally in Latin, but sometimes in Greek, French
or Italian, and the emblem is made complete with very brief
texts. In reutilizing these plates, Wither enriched them
literarily by adding to them an English couplet as the
inscriptio and extensive poems, as well as a curious game of
roulette at the end.
Alan R. Young, professor emeritus
of English at Acadia University, and Peter M.
Daly, professor emeritus of German at McGill University,
have collaborated with Studiolum
on this edition, which describes each emblem, identifies the
primary and secondary symbolic motifs, and includes a study on
Wither the man and his work. They have also included for this
edition the most complete bibliographical analysis published to
date.
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