Camera Regis, Or, A Short View of London: Containing the Antiquity..

1676. London: Printed: for William Crooke, 1676. London: Printed: for William Crooke, 1676. Brydall on London, A Copy Presented to His Father Brydall, John [b.1635?]. Camera Regis, Or, A Short View of London: Containing the Antiquity, Fame, Walls, Bridge, River, Gates, Tower, Cathedral, Officers, Courts, Customs, Franchises, &c. Of that Renowned City. Collected Out of Law & History and Methodized for the Benefit of the Previous Inhabitants. London: Printed: for William Crooke, 1676. [viii], 125, [3] pp. Octavo (6-1/2" x 4-1/4"). Recent calf, blind frames to boards, gilt fillets and lettering piece to spine, endpapers renewed. A few minor scratches to boards, light fading to front board, faint offsetting to preliminaries, retained later armorial bookplate (of William Alexander) to front pastedown, later monogram bookplate (RFG) to recto of first blank. Moderate toning to interior, occasional light foxing and staining to top-edge, light edgewear to final leaf without loss to text. Early inscription "Presidio Veritas/ ex dono authoris filii/ charissimi mei" to verso of title page, struck-through early annotation below. $1,250. * First edition. Brydall was a fellow of Queen's College, Oxford, and a bencher of Lincoln's Inn. A remarkably prolific writer, he published 36 legal treatises, and left 30 others in manuscript at the time of his death. All of these are brief, synthetic works. Holdsworth says they are good summaries that are "clearly arranged and based on the leading authorities." The present title gives an overview of the laws and customs of London. Our copy was apparently presented by Brydall to his father. The work was reissued with a reset title page in 1678. Holdsworth, A History of English Law VI:605. English Short-Title Catalogue R31996.