Chambers’s Encyclopædia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge. New Edition. Volume VIII: Peasant to Roumelia

Edited by David Patrick, M.A., LL.D. (with contributions from hundreds of leading specialists of the era; William Geddie, M.A., B.Sc. also credited on some impressions in this revised series) Publisher / Printer: William & Robert Chambers, Limited, London and Edinburgh (printed in Edinburgh by W. & R. Chambers, Limited); co-published for the American market by J. B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia Publication Date: 1904 Edition: New Edition (the important revised and enlarged illustrated edition first issued 1888–1892; this is a 1904 impression with the same plates and text) Format / Binding: Original publisher’s red cloth hardcover with blind-stamped decorative Greek-key border and floral corner pieces to the upper board, gilt lettering and rules to the spine (“CHAMBERS’S ENCYCLOPÆDIA VOL. VIII. PEAS TO ROUM NEW EDITION”). Royal 8vo format (approx. 26.5 cm × 18 cm). Book Condition: Good / Very Good minus – a solid, complete, and entirely usable reference copy with character-appropriate wear for a 122-year-old volume. • Externally: The red cloth is faded on the spine and edges (typical sunning), with light surface soiling and a few small marks to the boards. Corners are gently bumped and rubbed; spine ends show minor fraying but no tears. Gilt spine lettering remains clear and fully legible, though dulled. Hinges are tight and sound with no cracking. • Internally: Very clean overall. Text pages are bright with only mild age-toning to the edges. All wood-engraved illustrations, maps, and plates are present and crisp. No foxing, no inscriptions, no underlining or annotations. Endpapers are intact (rear endpaper carries the final “END OF VOL. VIII.” colophon). Minor natural browning to the paper edges consistent with age; a few pages show very faint handling marks. • Pagination: 828 pp. + preliminary matter (complete and collated). Description: A handsome and complete single volume from the scarce 1904 “New Edition” of the celebrated Chambers’s Encyclopædia, one of the most respected British reference works of the late-Victorian and Edwardian periods. This is Volume VIII only, covering every entry alphabetically from “Peasant Proprietorship” through to “Roumelia” (now usually spelt Rumelia). Originally conceived by the famous Scottish publishers William and Robert Chambers in the mid-19th century, the encyclopaedia was first issued between 1859 and 1868. The “New Edition” of 1888–1892, under the editorial direction of the distinguished Scottish scholar David Patrick (1849–1914), was a thorough revision: most articles were entirely rewritten, expanded, and brought up to date with the latest scholarship of the day. This 1904 impression retains the authoritative text and profuse illustrations of that landmark revision while remaining an affordable and practical set for libraries and private collectors. The volume is profusely illustrated throughout with hundreds of detailed wood engravings, diagrams, and maps produced by the Chambers house team. Each entry written with the clarity and depth that made Chambers’s a household name for over a century. The title page carries the exact imprint: “WILLIAM & ROBERT CHAMBERS, LIMITED / LONDON AND EDINBURGH / J. B. LIPPINCOTT COMPANY, PHILADELPHIA / 1904” with the ornate “W&R” monogram. The final page bears the printer’s colophon: “Edinburgh: Printed by W. & R. Chambers, Limited.” J. B. Lippincott holds the U.S. copyright. This specific volume is ideal for: • Collectors completing broken sets of the 1904 New Edition • Historians and researchers needing the exact Edwardian perspective on late-19th/early-20th-century knowledge • Libraries or institutions seeking individual volumes for reference use • Anyone fascinated by the history of encyclopaedias or the beautiful wood-engraved illustration style of the period A genuine antique reference treasure that remains eminently readable and visually engaging 122 years after publication.…