Antiquary Francis Peck (1692–1743) was born in Stamford, Lincolnshire, England, and educated at Stamford School. He was elected to the Society of Antiquarians in 1732 and corresponded with many of the leading antiquaries and historians of the age; including Thomas Hearne, Browne Willis, Roger and Samuel Gale, and William Stukeley. An antiquarian is one concerned with antiquities or things of the past. ... Events February 13 - Massacre of Glencoe March 1 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony with the charging of three women with witchcraft. ... // Events February 14 - Henry Pelham becomes British Prime Minister February 21 - - The premiere in London of George Frideric Handels oratorio, Samson. ... Stamford is a town on the River Welland in Lincolnshire, England. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Stamford School is an English public school in the market town of Stamford, Lincolnshire. ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... An historian is someone who writes history, a written accounting of the past. ... Thomas Hearne (July, 1678 - June 10, 1735), English antiquarian, was born at Littlefield Green in the parish of White Waltham, Berkshire. ... Browne Willis (1682 - 1760), antiquary, educated at Westminster and Oxford, entered the Inner Temple 1700, sat in the House of Commons 1705-8. ... William Stukeley (November 7, 1687–March 3, 1765) was an English antiquary who pioneered the archaeological investigation of Stonehenge and Avebury. ...

His major publication is the Desiderata Curiosa, a two-volume miscellany (published 1732–1735). There is an engraved frontispiece portrait of Peck (by R. Collins, from life) in volume I, and nine other plates, as well as integral engravings in the text; Stukeley presented the plate of Henry Wykys, vicar of Stamford. The work contains a major biography of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Queen Elizabeth I's Lord High Treasurer and chief advisor for much of her reign. An anthology is a collection of literary works, originally of poems, but in recent years its usage has broadened to be applied to collections of short stories and comic strips. ... Events February 23 - First performance of Handels Orlando, in London June 9 - James Oglethorpe is granted a royal charter for the colony of Georgia. ... Events April 16 - The London premiere of Alcina by George Frideric Handel, his first the first Italian opera for the Royal Opera House at Covent Garden. ... Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. ... In architecture, a frontispiece constitutes the elements that frame and decorate the main, or front, door to a building; especially when the main entrance is the chief face of the building, rather than being kept behind columns or a portico. ... William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 1521–4 August 1598), was an English politician, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign (17 November 1558–24 March 1603), and Lord High Treasurer from 1572. ... Elizabeth I (7 September 1533 – 24 March 1603) was Queen of England, Queen of France (in name only), and Queen of Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. ... The Lord High Treasurer bears a white staff as his symbol of office. ...

Publication

Burghley House, one of the seats of Lord Burghley from Peck's Desiderata Curiosa.

Peck, Francis, Desiderata Curiosa. "Volume the First. Containing, I. The complete Statesman, exemplified in the Life and Action of Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley, Lord High Treasurer of England in Queen Elizabeth’s Time; largely setting forth both his public and private Conduct. With many Notes from his own MS. Diary, and other Authors [together with 29 other tracts named on the title-pages and] many other Memoirs, Letters, Wills, and Epitaphs; amounting in all to above 150 curious Articles; all now published from original MSS. communicated by eminent Persons … Adorned with Cuts. London: Printed 1732" Image File history File links Size of this preview: 757 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1297 × 1027 pixel, file size: 246 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Burghley House from Francis Pecks Desiderata Curiosa (1732-35). ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 757 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (1297 × 1027 pixel, file size: 246 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Burghley House from Francis Pecks Desiderata Curiosa (1732-35). ...

Volume the Second, printed 1735, contains a further 150 "curious Articles".

Some copies of the first edition have a cancel title page for Volume I, (as called for in the "Directions to the Binder" in Volume II). The cancelland is sometimes retained as the "general title-page". see also: The First Edition, a musical group fronted by Kenny Rogers. ... The title page of a book, thesis or other written work is the page at or near the front which displays its title, and author, as well as other information. ... Old book binding and cover Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of separate or bifoliate sheets of paper or other material. ...

External link

• Description of First edition of Desiderata Curiosa (from Bibliopoly - Rare and Antiquarian Books (accessed 22:39, 4 October 2005 (UTC))