Old Nottinghamshire Briscoe 1884 Second Series No3 Signed
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
 
Old Nottinghamshire: A Collection of Papers on the History, Antiquities & Topography of Nottinghamshire
Edited by John Potter Briscoe, F.R.H.S.
Second Series
Published 1884
London: Hamilton, Adams & Co.
Nottingham: J. Derry
Printed by J. Derry, Nottingham
 
Limited to 125 copies
This copy: No. 3
Signed in ink: J. Potter Briscoe
 
Frontispiece: “A Bit of Old Mansfield”
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
 
Issued three years after the success of the First Series, this limited edition Second Series expanded the antiquarian scope of the project.
 
Briscoe continued his mission to:
Preserve local research
Correct historical inaccuracies
Consolidate dispersed scholarship
 
The limited print run of just 125 copies reflects a subscription-based model typical of serious Victorian antiquarian publishing.
 
About the Author
 
John Potter Briscoe (1848–1926) was Principal Librarian of Nottingham and a leading Victorian antiquarian, deeply involved in regional historical scholarship and literary societies.
 
He is still celebrated today for his contributions to Midlands local history.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
 
Quarter leather with red cloth boards.
Gilt crest to front board
Motto: “Vivit Post Funera Virtus”
Gilt spine lettering
Top edge gilt
 
Condition:
Soft bumping, rubbing to leather edges, fading to spine, very light surface marks. Attractive and structurally sound.
 
Interior Condition
 
Dark endpapers.
Pages lightly toned.
Light foxing to page edges when closed.
Very light internal foxing.
Slightly roughly cut page edges.
 
Printing error: page 39 missing final digit of page number (normal Victorian press flaw).
No tears.
 
Remnants of pencil to prelims.
All pages secure and tightly bound.
 
xvi + 155 pages + publisher’s catalogue present.
 
Physical Details
 
Approx. 23.4 x 19.6 x 2.6 cm
Weight: approx. 723g
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
 
Strictly limited to 125 copies.
This is No. 3, signed by the editor.
Limited Victorian county histories in such condition are uncommon; low-numbered signed copies are scarcer still.
The numbering appears consistent with the “No. 3” marking in the First Series, suggesting a possible retained subscriber sequence.
A highly desirable Nottinghamshire antiquarian volume.
 
Provenance
 
Printer imprint page inscribed:
“125 Copies. No. 3”
Signed: “J. Potter Briscoe”
Companion First Series (1881) marked “No. 3” available separately.