Selected Poems: Sir Thomas Browne

by Sir Thomas Browne

Sir Thomas Browne (1605-82), physician and philosopher, is celebrated principally for his "Religio Medici" and his study of burial customs, "Urn Burial", masterpieces of English prose. But a portrait of Browne as a 17th-century intellectual must include much that is rarely seen except by specialists. The "Pseudodoxia Epidemica", for example, tracts, letters to naturalists and antiquarians, notebooks and observations on natural history, are neglected. This modernised edition includes the complete text of "Urn Burial", selections from "Religio Medici", and much else to give account of Browne as doctor, scientist, philosopher, Christian, political and social being. Designed for those unfamiliar with Browne's sometimes opaque prose, it includes substantial annotation and a full introduction.

Thomas Browne was a physician, philosopher, and the author of "Religio Medici" and "Urn Burial." Claire Preston is a fellow and lecturer in English at Sidney Sussex College.