First edition, quarto, with woodcut device featuring a printing press, with a figure setting type and another with inking pads in the background; title strokes added in red to title page and throughout the text, printed in roman letter in single column throughout, bound in full 19th century speckled paper over boards; ex libris Edward Shippersdon and R. Percy Alden, with bookplates, 7 3/4 x 5 1/2 in.
Geoffrey of Monmouth established the legend of King Arthur in this work, his History of the Kings of Britain. His tales were extremely popular, and largely accepted as authentic throughout the Tudor period. Any historians who cast doubt on their credibility were criticized for maligning the mythical origins of the British people and crown. The influence of the work was immense on the nation's literary imagination, leaving its telltale marks on Shakespeare, Milton, Malory, Spenser, and countless others.
![Geoffrey of Monmouth (c. 1095-c. 1155) Brita[n]nie Utriusq[ue] Reg[n]u[m] & Pri[n]cipu[m] Origo & Gesta Insignia.](https://catalogue.swanngalleries.com/full//852\798852.jpg)
