BREREWOOD, Edward.
Enquiries touching the diversity of languages, and religions through the cheife parts of the world...
London: for John Bill, 1614.
Small 4to (185 × 135 mm.), pp. [xxiv], 198, [2], title within woodcut border. Title slightly stained and frayed and with small purple library inkstamps (Nottingham Public Library), these also in margins of three other leaves, a few other minor spots and stains elsewhere, slight worming to gutter of some leaves towrds the end, early annotations in ink and pencil. Early limp vellum, soiled, upper hinge cracked, pastedowns lifted but present, nineteenth-century paper library label to upper cover, title in later manuscript to spine. A good copy.
First edition of the most important of Brerewood's many works, an enterprising early study of linguistics and ethnology. It is known especially for Brerewood's thesis that America had been peopled principally from Asia and thus that the native Americans were in fact of Asian descent.The author's intention was to classify the cultures of the known world according to a fourfold division (Christians, Muslims, idolaters and Jews) and to understand the historical origins of Christianity. Reflecting the author's profession as mathematician and professor of astronomy at Gresham College, the work is an interesting exercise in quantifying proportionally the available data as to the relative influence over the globe of each of the dominant cultures. He concludes that if the known regions of the earth are divided into "30 equall parts" the Christian part was five, the Muslim six, the idolators' nineteen, with Judaism dispersed among them all.Brerewood died in 1613 and like all his works, Enquiries touching the diversity of languages was published posthumously by his nephew to whom the author bequeathed his manuscripts.
STC 3618.
£2000.00
US$3971.60*
* Given as a guide only. Based on an exchange rate of £1 = US$1.985799 for the day 25 July 2008 but liable to fluctuate.
25 July 2008