Sir Philip Sidney THE COUNTESS OF PEMBROKES ARCADIA WRITTEN BY SIR PHILIP SIDNEY 1891 Limited Edition Photographic Facsimile Original Quarto Edition 1590 Bibliographical Introduction Romance Pastoral Elements Literature Mary Sidney
Title: The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia Written by Sir Philip Sidney, Knt. The Original Quarto Edition (1590) in Photographic Facsimile, with a Bibliographical Introduction
Author: Sir Philip Sidney - Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier, and soldier, who is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan age. His works include "Astrophel and Stella," "The Defence of Poesy" (also known as "The Defence of Poetry" or "An Apology for Poetry"), and "The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia."

Editor: H. Oskar Sommer - Heinrich Oskar Sommer was an Arthurian scholar.
Publisher: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner and Co., Ltd.
City: London
Year: 1891
Printing Information: Limited Edition
Binding Style: Hardcover
Pagination: 361 pages
Width: 6.25" Height: 9"
Book Details: This antique facsimile volume is bound in blue paper-covered cloth with brown paper-covered spine. This volume is a limited edition number 278 of 300 and features a photographic facsimile of the 1590 quarto of "The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia."

The Arcadia, by far Sidney's most ambitious work, was as significant in its own way as his sonnets. The work is a romance that combines pastoral elements with a mood derived from the Hellenistic model of Heliodorus. Sidney wrote an early version (the Old Arcadia) during a stay at Mary Herbert's house; this version is narrated in a straightforward, sequential manner. Later, Sidney began to revise the work on a more ambitious plan, with much more backstory about the princes, and a much more complicated story line, with many more characters. He completed most of the first three books, but the project was unfinished at the time of his death—the third book breaks off in the middle of a sword fight. There were several early editions of the book. Fulke Greville published the revised version alone, in 1590. The Countess of Pembroke, Sidney's sister, published a version in 1593, which pasted the last two books of the first version onto the first three books of the revision. In the 1621 version, Sir William Alexander provided a bridge to bring the two stories back into agreement. It was known in this cobbled-together fashion until the discovery, in the early twentieth century, of the earlier version.
Condition / Notes: This antique volume displays some typical indications of age and wear, including shelfwear and rubbing. the spine is partially cracked, with the top portion mostly detached. The binding and text block are firm, and pages show nicely with mild age toning on the edges. Some pages are uncut.

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