" Coloniae Agrippina (Köln) , Sumptibus Joannis Wilhelmi Friesem, 1688, 8 part bound in 4 volumes, in-folio, 39 x 24 cm. Volume I (tomus I and II) ; engraved title with view of Cologne (A. Braun), typographical title printed in red and black + (6)nn pp + 322 pp + 64 pp (numbered columns 323-452) , title + (1) nn pp + 238 pp. Volume II (tomus III and IV) ; title + (3) nn pp + 250 pp (numbered columns 1-500) , title + (3)(2 bl) nn pp + 408 pp (numbered columns 1-916) + (3)(bl) nn pp . Volume III (tomus V and VI) ; title + (1) nn pp + 408 pp (numbered columns 1-816) , title + (1) nn pp + 426 pp (numbered columns 1-852). Volume IV (tomus VII and VIII) ; title + (3)(2 bl) nn pp + 243 pp (numbered columns 1-486) + (1)(bl) , title + (3)(2 bl) nn pp + 484 pp (numbered columns 1- 968) + (108)(index) nn pp + (2)(bl). (Complete). With many woodcut and copper engraved illustrations and diagrams printed in the text, especially in the first two parts. Bound in 4 uniform full contemporary leather bindings, all volumes uniformly rebacked, gilt raised spines with two labels, endpapers renewed, bookblocks untouched, with edges painted red. Some old waterstains at some pages, most pages a bit browned due to paper quality, but never obtrusively. In all a well preserved set in very sound bindings. Ex-library with only 8 stamps , each time on the verso of the title. There are known three European continental folio editions of the collected works (Opera omnia) of Bede (672 - 735) , the Father of English History. The first was published in Basel 1563, the two others at Cologne in 1612 and 1688. According to Charles Plummer ( Enc. Britt. 11th ed.) all these editions contain works which cannot by any possibility be Bede's. Especially the first two volumes contain many scientific treatises ; on cosmology, music, etc."