[Barleti (Marin)] The historie of George Castriot

[Barleti (Marin)] The historie of George Castriot, surnamed Scanderbeg, King of Albanie. Containing his famous actes, his noble deedes of armes, and memorable victories against the Turkes, for the faith of Christ, first and only edition in English, [translated by Zachary Jones], title with woodcut printer's device, woodcut head- and tail-pieces and decorative initials, lacking initial blank, library stamps (mostly marginal, but very occasionally encroaching on a printed side-note or text), tear to foot of of Ss1 and Vv6, within text, but without loss, marginal worming to quires V and X, occasionally affecting a printed side-note, stained, lightly browned throughout, 19th century half calf, spine and corners worn, covers detaching, rubbed, [STC 15318; Johnson, Spencer, p.57, C], folio, Imprinted [by R. Field] for VVilliam Ponsonby, 1599.

⁂ Rare copy at auction of this translation of Barleti's life of the Albanian hero Scanderbeg, who led that country's resistance against the Ottomans. The work includes a prefatory sonnet by Edmund Spenser ('Upon the historie of George Castriot').

Provenance: 'This book was part of ye Library of the famous Sir John Powell of Broadway'. Sir John Powell (1632-1696) Carmarthenshire judge, who is buried at Broadway, Laugharne (minute inscription inside the O of 'Historie' of title; final f. with 17th century list of Welsh names with sums against them; Thomas Pennyore, ?Rev. Thomas Watkins 1761-1829 (inscription to head of title).