Dictionary / Geiriadur - Antiquae Linguae Britannicae - Richards Welsh & English - Antique 1759 (Preloved)

Can't find the words? This is a novel gift!

I think this may be the oldest thing we have ever sold! A beautiful Georgian Welsh English Dictionary. Its condition is poor - but when 267 years old you reach, look as good you will not!

Discover a remarkable piece of Welsh linguistic history with this 1759 first edition of Antiquae Linguae Britannicae Thesaurus by Thomas Richards, an early and highly respected Welsh–English dictionary. Printed in Bristol by Felix Farley, this influential work contains thousands of Welsh words—many drawn from poets, historians, and earlier lexicographical sources—and is prized for its scholarly authority.

Richards also includes a comprehensive Welsh grammar designed to make the principles of the language accessible to learners, along with a valuable collection of British proverbs.

This rare surviving copy shows the charm and character of its age, complete with a moiré cloth and leather binding (perhaps rebound later?), making it a beautiful and historically significant volume for collectors of Welsh books, language studies, or early lexicography.

• Felix Farley, 1759 (Roman Numerals MDCCLIX)
• Welsh and English language
• Beautiful marbled page edges
• Moiré silk / cloth pattern - wavy almost topographical ripples which sheen changes in the light
• Hardback with brown boards, brown leather embossed spine with gold lettering / decor and corners
• Measures 14 x 20.5 x 3.5 cms

Condition: poor: scuffs and age related marks to book cover boards and spine. Spine leather peeling. Scuffs on leather. Front cover and first page has come away from book completely. Pages have age related marks and some are loose. Old tape on first few. A small amount of underling throughout. Still an absolute gem full of fascinating information about Georgian Welsh, and would look beautiful on a shelf.