The Works of Francis Bacon, Volume 1

What it is

This is the first volume of an 1884 edition of The Works of Francis Bacon, edited by Basil Montagu. It gathers Bacon's writings into a scholarly collection for readers long after his death.

Why it matters

Editions like this kept Bacon's writing in circulation for new generations of readers and scholars, showing how his reputation as a thinker persisted into the Victorian era. The book itself, with its library markings, also shows how such volumes were used and preserved in institutions.

Look closer

• Why might an editor like Basil Montagu want to collect Bacon's works centuries after his death?
• What does the library label on the cover tell you about this book's later life?
• How might a 19th-century edition shape how readers understood a 17th-century writer?