Religio Medici
by Thomas Browne
edited, and introduced by Paul Summers Young
Religio Medici is one of the most influential books to have come down to us from the seventeenth century. Like Robert Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy, it is as much an inquiry into self as it is a wandering among the Liberal Arts, at whose heart is a simple truth: you can be rationally mystical, mystically rational, and a sincere friend to all.
This book was published, reluctantly, in 1643, at a time of vicious sectarian violence across the Three Kingdoms. Thomas Browne anticipates some of the sentiments expressed by the Ranters, Diggers and Quakers, but also establishes the model for a tradition of English elegiac literature, taking his theme from life and following it across antiquity, only to bring it home again. His flights always return to this ash here in a pot being you and me.
About the Black Letter Press edition
The Black Letter Press edition is based upon the 1643 edition of the text, and introduces modern spelling and punctuation conventions to render the work more accessible and enjoyable for a non-specialist reader.
This is the first volume in a series of Browne’s work for Black Letter Press.
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Hardcover Edition
212 pages. Hardcover bound in blue Fedrigoni Imitlin. 120 gram black endpapers. Printed on 115 gsm wood-free, age-resistant Arena Ivory Rough paper. Sewn book block, black ribbon bookmark and black headbands. Printed and gilded on front cover and spine.
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Press, reviews, endorsements
“Thomas Browne is by common consent the author of some of the finest prose in the English language.”
From ‘The Greening Genius of Thomas Browne” in The New York Review - read the full article here
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About the Author
The late Thomas Browne (1605 – 1682) was an English polymath and author of varied works which reveal his wide learning in diverse fields including science, medicine, religion and the esoteric. His writings display a deep curiosity towards the natural world, influenced by the Scientific Revolution of Baconian enquiry and are permeated by references to Classical and Biblical sources as well as the idiosyncrasies of his own personality. Although often described as suffused with melancholia, Browne's writings are also characterised by wit and subtle humour, while his literary style is varied, according to genre, resulting in a rich, unique prose which ranges from rough notebook observations to polished Baroque eloquence.
