Morris, Ian Domesday Book : Essex , London: Philmore & Co. Ltd., 1983.First Edition. Soft Cover. Very Good. 8vo 0 850334845 DOMESDAY BOOK is a statistical survey of England in 1086 A.D. It is a census of the population and productive resources of the country, of their value and of who held them. It is difficult to exaggerate the importance to local historians and archaeologists of the availability of a cheap edition of this fundamental source, for the first time in 900 years. The text has only once been set and printed, in 1783, in an edition of 1,250 copies; many of which have not survived, so that extant examples are expensive and relatively inaccessible. Translations of differing forms and accuracy have been published for most counties, but many are out of print and others are only available as part of large and costly volumes, usually with many technical terms untranslated. The present edition corrects the few errors detected in the 18th-century setting of the Latin text and provides a parallel, uniform, modern English translation; with a map, indices and an explanation of the technical terms for each county. This edition will be of service to those interested in local history and topography, and to scholars who wish either to re-examine the evidence on which modern discussion rests, or to explore the very many questions of social and administrative structure which have received less attention. Domesday Book was unmatched in Europe for many centuries, the product of a sophisticated and experienced English administration, fully exploited by the Conqueror's commanding energy. Its name is known to everyone - and everyone can now have access to its text and, within the limitations of contemporary scholarship, its meaning. (Book ref. 125583 ) £ 6.00 The payment methods accepted by the seller, Charles Bossom , are shown in the right-hand column. |
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