The Domesday Book is a record of the survey conducted in England in 1086 by officials of William The Conqueror so as to assess taxes etc. The Domesday Book contains a survey of almost all the lands in England. The survey was made by commissioners, who collected the information in each district from a sworn jury consisting of sheriffs, lords of manors, presbyters, bailiffs, villeins - all the classes, in short, interested in the matter. The extent, tenure, value, and proprietorship of the land in each district, the state of culture, and in some cases the number of tenants, villeins, serfs, etc, were the matters chiefly recorded. The survey was completed within a year. Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, and Westmoreland were not included in the survey, probably for the reason that William's authority was not then (in 1086) settled in those parts. The original Domesday Book consists of two volumes, one folio and one quarto. It has been republished a few times, a perfect facsimile of the original being published in 1861-1865. Research Domesday Book
The Exeter Book or Codex Exoniensis is a folio given by Bishop Leofric to the library of his cathedral between 1046 and 1073, and dating probably from the first half of the same century. It contains some thirty-three poems including: Cynewulf's poems Crist and Juliana, Guthlac, Azarias, Widsith. Research Exeter Book
Folio is a sheet of paper folded once to make two leaves of a book or manuscript, and hence the term is given to paper of a large size used for this purpose. Research Folio
Foolscap is a regular paper size of 13.5 by 16.5 inches, so called because it was originally water- marked with a fool's head and cap during the 13th to the 17th centuries. Brewer maintains that the name is an erroneous corruption of the Italian foglio-capo meaning a folio-sized sheet, but concedes that the error must be very ancient as evidenced by the watermark present during the 13th century. Research Foolscap
The New York Sun was the first successful penny paper established in the United States. It was founded in September, 1833, by Benjamin H Day, a printer, who promised in his prospectus to publish all the news of the day for one penny. The success of the paper was due rather to the demand of the people for such a journal than to its able management. The first number was a folio of twelve columns, ten inches to the column. The price was raised to two cents per copy after the American Civil War. Research New York Sun
Richard Hakluyt was one of the earliest English collectors of voyages and maritime journals. He was born in 1553 and died in 1616. He entered Christ Church College, Oxford, in 1575, and became so eminent for his acquaintance with cosmography, that he was appointed public lecturer on that science. About 1584 he went to Paris as chaplain to the English ambassador, and stayed there five years. After his return home he prepared for the press his collection of The Principal Navigations, Voyages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, made by Sea, or over Land, within the Compass of these 1500 Years. The first volume, in folio, was published in 1589, and the third and last in 1600. Besides narratives of nearly 220 voyages, these volumes comprise patents, letters, instructions, and other documents, not readily to be found elsewhere. On his death he was a prebendary of Westminster and rector of Wetheringset in Suffolk, and was interred in Westminster Abbey. Research Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt was one of the earliest English collectors of voyages and maritime journals. He was born in 1553 and died in 1616. He entered Christ Church College, Oxford, in 1575, and became so eminent for his acquaintance with cosmography, that he was appointed public lecturer on that science. About 1584 he went to Paris as chaplain to the English ambassador, and stayed there five years. After his return home he prepared for the press his collection of The Principal Navigations, Voyages, and Discoveries of the English Nation, made by Sea, or over Land, within the Compass of these 1500 Years. The first volume, in folio, was published in 1589, and the third and last in 1600. Besides narratives of nearly 220 voyages, these volumes comprise patents, letters, instructions, and other documents, not readily to be found elsewhere. On his death he was a prebendary of Westminster and rector of Wetheringset in Suffolk, and was interred in Westminster Abbey. Research Richard Hakluyt
Didot was a famous house of printers, booksellers, and typefounders at Paris. The founder was Francois Didot born in 1689 and died in 1757. Of his sons Francois-Ambroise born in 1720 and died in 1804 and Pierre-Francois born in 1732 and died in 1795, the first distinguished himself in the type-founding art as an inventor of new processes and machines, the second was equally eminent by his bibliographical knowledge, and contributed much also to the advancement of printing.
Pierre Didot was born in 1761 and died in 1853. He succeeded his father Francois-Ambroise in the printing business. He made himself famous by his magnificent editions of classic authors in folio, amongst which his Virgil (1798) and his Racine (1801) may be particularly mentioned. He did much also for the improvement of types, etc. He is known also as an author.
Firmin Didot, born in 1764 and died in 1836, was the brother of Pierre Didot, and took charge of the type-founding. He was the inventor of a new sort of script, and an improver of the stereotype process. Research Didot
Gavin Hamilton was a Scottish painter. He was born in about 1730 at Lanark and died in 1797. He studied at Rome, devoting himself to historic painting. In 1773 he published at Rome a folio volume, The Italian School of Painting, illustrated with splendid plates. His illustrations of Homer are amongst his best productions. He was very successful also as a discoverer of classical antiquities. Research Gavin Hamilton
James Orchard Halliwell-Phillipps (also known as J O Halliwell) was an English Shakespearian scholar. He was born in 1820 and died in 1889. In 1839 he began his editorial labours with a reprint of Mandeville's Travels. He was a leading and active member of the Percy and Shakespeare societies; for the former he edited the Minor Poems of Lydgate, Early Naval Ballads of England, Nursery Rhymes of England, etc; and for the latter, The Coventry Mysteries, Tarleton's Jests, The Fairy Mythology of Shakespeare, etc. His chief Shakespearian publications are a Life of Shakspere (1848), the Works of Shakspere in 16 folio volumes, only 150 copies of which were printed; Calendar of the Records of Stratford-on-Avon; History of New Place; and Outlines of the Life of Shakspere. He issued also 47 volumes of lithographed facsimiles of the quarto plays, and a great number of pamphlets on Shakespeare, Stratford, and kindred topics. He also published a valuable Dictionary of Archaic and Provincial Words. Research James Halliwell-Phillipps
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Domesday Book
