___]]> Books]]> Britannia, is full of symbolism. At the top, Britain, personified, sits on a rock with spear and standard in hand. The map of Britain, imprinted with the names of pre-Roman tribes, is flanked by Neptune and Ceres, depicting fertility on both land and sea. At the bottom, a ship, Stonehenge, Roman baths, and a church symbolise Britain’s formidable navy, her history, and strong Christian faith, respectively. Despite its position, to the right, this engraving is essentially a frontispiece, not a title page.]]> [Willliam Camden]]]> Books]]> Giovanni Stringa]]> Books]]> Travels to China (1804) recount an early Western visit to that country, but it is also the first book on China to be illustrated by aquatint, a process that gives tonal effects to an image, like a wash of watercolour. William Alexander, also a member of the expedition, drew the portrait of ‘Van-ta-gin’ that forms this very colourful frontispiece. It was engraved by Thomas Medland (c.1765–1833), who also executed the other four aquatint illustrations in the book.]]> John Barrow]]> Books]]> la manière anglaise. One English master was Charles Turner (1774-1857), who specialized in portraiture. Here he has worked his magic to form a frontispiece of ‘Mrs Siddons’ after a painting by Sir Thomas Lawrence.]]> James Boaden]]> Books]]> Resolves, while still a teenager; it was first published in 1623. The frontispiece to this 1661 edition, albeit on the right hand side, is a reworking of that which appeared in the 1628 edition. The poem, to the left, provides an explanation for the symbolism in the engraving by Robert Vaughn (c.1600-64). Opinion and Ignorance have been anthropomorphised and are trying to pull the world down while Wisdom (Sapientia) and Truth (Veritas) pull it towards Heaven, and therefore Enlightenment. As Saenger (2006) states ‘The frontispiece emblematizes the spiritual dynamics with which the text is meant to engage the reader.']]> Owen Feltham]]> Books]]> The Imitation of Christ, by German priest Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471), is one of the most widely read Christian texts in history; it has gone through hundreds of editions. This particular volume was printed by John Hayes, Cambridge University Printer, in 1685.]]> [Thomas à Kempis]]]> Books]]> Companion is a catechetic work intended for use as a guide to the ‘Festivals and Fasts of the Church of England’. The frontispiece of this edition shows two Saints of the Church in the act of martyrdom. In the foreground, Stephen, who was falsely accused of blasphemy, is being stoned to death; and in the background, James the Greater, one of Jesus’ Apostles, is being beheaded by Herod Agrippa (11BC- 44AD). Above both of these scenes, angels appear holding crowns and palms, to be bestowed on the martyrs as they make their ascension into the Kingdom of God. This engraving, by Flemish engraver Michael van der Gucht (1660-1725), is a reworking of the same from a previous edition.]]> Robert Nelson]]> Books]]> Catalogue of the Pepys Library, Vol. III Prints and Drawings (1980). Pepys, like others at the time, did not differentiate between ‘frontispiece’ and engraved title-page; they lumped them together. Special Collections has 14 identified ‘frontispieces’ owned by Pepys. The 1653 Elzevir edition of Bacon is no. 36, described by him as ‘three male figures standing round a globe on a pedestal (with title).’]]> Francis Bacon]]> Books]]> Catalogue of the Pepys Library, Vol. III Prints and Drawings (1980). This Special Collections' copy shows a glade in a wood, with soldiers and civilians; in the foreground St Cyprian stands blindfolded with hands in prayer; behind, a warrior prepares to strike him with a sword; above, Fame, in an oval ray of light, extends a laurel wreath.’ Drawn by Wilhelm Sonmans, the image was engraved by Michael Burghers (c.1647–1727), a Dutch artist who lived in England. ]]> Cyprian]]> Books]]> Essay on the First Book of T. Lucretius, its first appearance in English. The frontispiece was designed by Mary, Evelyn’s wife. Evelyn had training as a draftsman and he must have given her some instruction on composition. Although the head in profile in the wreathed medallion is supposed to be Lucretius, it is, as commentators have noted, very much like Evelyn himself.]]> John Evelyn]]> Books]]> John Nalson]]> Books]]> Anatomy was written to get Burton out of a bout of depression. The work also contained a poem explaining the ‘frontispiece’, which was engraved by Christian Le Blon. The engraver must have known Burton’s intricate text well, because each of the ten panels depict symbols and emblems that relate closely to the content.]]> Robert Burton]]> Books]]> Anatomy of Melancholy (1628) lacks the explanatory poem, here is the 1866 printed version, offering descriptions and meanings to many of the emblems and symbols used: e.g. Frame II: Jealousy, including a kingfisher and a swan.]]> Robert Burton]]> Pamphlets]]> Anabasis of Alexander the Great’s conquests (4th cent. BC) would have to resort to Google to decipher the imagery in the frontispiece. Victory, personified, stands upon the peoples Alexander has vanquished – the Persians, the Egyptians, the Punjabis. The scene in the distance represents his Siege of Tyre, now in Turkey. Alexander, a military genius, built a mole or pier upon which to stand his siege towers. He breached the heavily fortified walls of the castle built on the island and conquered the city-state – ‘Tyre was his [military] masterpiece’ (Cartledge, 2004).]]> [Arrian of Nicomedia]]]> Books]]> Argonautics is a frontispiece – it is labelled as such. The scene most probably depicts Jason leaving Queen Hypsipyle and the island of Lemnos. The engraving from the artwork of one ‘W. Hamilton’ is by Charles Grignion (1721-1810). After training in Paris and London, Grignion embarked upon a career as an historical artist and engraver. His early style is characterised as ‘energetic’, ‘elegant’, ‘bold’ and original’; the ODNB describes him as having a ‘light draughtsmanlike style in the French tradition’. Engraving well into his 80s, Grignion’s style suffered with old age and he died in poverty. Despite this, he is thought to be the ‘Father and Founder of the English School of Engraving’.]]> Francis Fawkes]]> Books]]> Edited by Richard Bentley]]> Books]]> Present State of England in 1669; another two editions followed in the same year. The book is a record of every aspect of English society, and described as a ‘strong monarchist panegyric’. Over 30 editions were printed within 100 years, and each editon's frontispiece engravings represented a change, or not, of monarch. In 1684, Charles II (1630-85) was king after the Restoration in 1660. He is flanked by the two men who filled the highest-ranking offices in the Kingdom: on the left William Sancroft (1617-93), the Archbishop of Canterbury (left), and on the right, Francis North, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, who holds the purse in which he keeps the actual Seal.]]> Edward Chamberlayne]]> Books]]> Present State of England had been through seventeen editions, and there had been a change of monarch. Charles II died in 1685 and was succeeded by his brother James II (1633-1701). James, in turn, was replaced after the Glorious Revolution in 1688, by his nephew and his daughter, William and Mary, who had married in 1677. In the frontispiece of the 1692 volume, here, King William III (1650-1702) and Queen Mary II (1662-94) sit upon their thrones, holding their own royal sceptres but sharing the monarchical orb.]]> Edward and John Chamberlayne]]> Books]]> Present State.]]> Edward and John Chamberlayne]]> Books]]> Present State of England fell to one of his sons, John (c.1668-1723). In 1704, Mary II’s sister and William III’s cousin, Anne, had been Queen for two years. Here she is in the frontispiece for the twenty-first edition. Her portrait was engraved by eminent English artist, Robert White (1645-1703), and was possibly a reused plate since the volume was published after his death. White was a prolific engraver, producing over 400 images during his career, including a portrait image of Queen Anne’s husband, Prince George of Denmark.]]> Edward and John Chamberlayne]]> Books]]> British Theatre series included tragedies and comedies, often featuring the most popular, contemporary plays. Bell employed the services of engraver, John Hall (1739-97) and his studio, to embellish his publications. Hall executed the engraving for the frontispiece on the right. It is signed. The frontispiece on the left, however, is not signed and could either have been done by Hall or one of his employees; there are plates throughout the text supplied by his studio. On the left, Britannia sits with her shield and spear, a bearded, winged man kneels before her; on the right, a tragic female figure laments the sinking of a ship.]]> ___]]> Books]]> Antiquitatum Romanorum contains another example of what might be termed a ‘double frontispiece’. A portrait of German theologian, antiquarian, and author, Kipping (1623-78), sits on the left. A more elaborate frontispiece, on the right, represents the subject of the book: all things Roman. It is full of imagery associated with the Empire: the eagle (Aquila) – for the Roman military; the initials SPQR – for Senatus Populusque Romanus (the Senate and the People of Rome); under the right wing of the eagle sits a fasces – a bundle of rods with a protruding axe head, symbolising the power and jurisdiction of a magistrate; the Pantheon, the Colosseum, and the Circus Maximus; and Romulus and Remus suckling from the she-wolf.]]> [Heinrich Kipping]]]> Books]]> Charles Patin]]> Books]]> Every Man his Own Gardener was first published in 1767. Over the next 100 years and 21 editions, it would become one of the most important gardening books of the time. The frontispiece for the first edition was drawn and engraved by eminent English engraver, Isaac Taylor (1730-1807). Taylor’s image, or a reworking of it, was used as the frontispiece for the first fifteen editions. However, from the sixteenth edition onwards, the frontispiece was changed, and it depicted the author, John Abercrombie (1726-1807), Scottish gardener and horticulturalist. Thomas Mawe, gardener to the Duke of Leeds, lent his name as author of the book to increase the book’s saleability and was paid £20 for his trouble.]]> Thomas Mawe and John Abercrombie]]> Books]]>