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616C Florio, John.
(1553?-1625) Qveen Anna’s New World of Words, or Dictionarie
of the Italian and English tongues, collected, and newly much augmented by
Iohn Florio, reader of the Italian vnto the soueraigne maiestie of Anna, crowned
Queene of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, &c. And one of the gentleman
of hir royall priuie chamber. Whereunto are added certaine necessarie rules
and short observations for the Italian tongue.
London: Printed by Melch. Bradwood [and W. Stansby],
for Edw. Blount and William Barret, 1611
$3,800
Folio, 10.3 x 7.25 in. Second edition, enlarged. ¶6, A-Z6, Aa-Zz6, Aaa-Eee6,
Fff-Ppp4 (including blank Fff4), Qqq3. This copy lacks the portrait by Hole.
The text is in very good condition; two pages have minor tears (or perhaps
paper flaws) that have been repaired. A bit of confined worming occurs in the
innermost top corner of the blank margins, at its worst through pages 420 to
460 and again in pages 500 to 545. Even at its worst, the worming touches no
printed letter. This copy is bound in full nineteenth century polished calfskin,
recently rebacked, with the bookplate of a John Hutton, Esquire pasted inside
the front board.
There was no dictionary, according to the various editors of Shakespeare’s
works, more often used by Shakespeare than Florio. Douse frequently refers
to it in his Illustrations. Hunter in his New Illustrations of Shakespeare
argues that the influence was more direct: “There is a resemblance sufficient
to be taken notice of between these passages (from ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Merchant
of Venice’) and one in Florio’s address to the reader at the beginning
of his dictionary.” An exhaustive account of Florio and his close connection
to Shakespeare can be found in Hunter’s New Illustrations.
“John Florio was born in London, the son of an Italian Protestant refugee,
but his youth was spent abroad. He returned to England to become a teacher of
Italian and published his first lively text-book in 1578. In 1604 he entered
the service of Queen Anne. Florio had numerous feuds and friendships. Among his
literary acquaintances, besides Daniel, were Hakluyt, Giordano Bruno, Jonson,
Breton, John Healey, and Matthew Gwinne, who helped him with Montaigne’s
quotations.” (Bush)
STC 11099; Lowndes Vol. I, pp. 812-813.
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