Oct 13, 2022 - Sale 2617
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Sale 2617 - Lot 57

Unsold
Estimate: $ 400 - $ 600
[Economics] Young, Arthur (1741-1820)
A Six Months Tour through the North of England.

London: Printed for Strahan, Nicoll, Collins, & Balfour, 1770 [-1771].

First edition, four large octavo volumes, untrimmed throughout, illustrated with twenty-nine engravings extraneous to collation (some full page, some folding), bound in original boards, nicely rebacked over original paper-covered boards, contents very good throughout with two leaves torn and neatly sewn back together with fine thread; new endleaves; contents notably bright and fresh, some areas of minor worming, 8 3/4 x 5 3/4 in. (4)

The title of this work might lead one to believe that tourism is the author's subject matter. Instead one finds exhaustive detail of the farming practices, wages, natural resources, and a ream of statistics of an economic nature. More like a census with financial information than a ramble through the countryside, Young ends his work with what he calls, "the state of the Nation, which depends on rural oeconomics." He calculates the total number of acres in all of England, along with the number of acres of arable land, grass, farms and revenue from each to calculate the value of the soil. He also tallies up the total number of farm animals in the country (broken down by animal type), farm implements, and their value. In this manner, he continues over hundreds and hundreds of pages.

ESTC T78932.
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