This is an original copy of the first edition of 'Tlysau yr Hen Oesoedd' (Jewels of Ancient Times) by Lewis Morris. It was printed in Holyhead in 1735 and brought together a selection of Welsh poetry and prose.

Lewis Morris (Llewelyn Ddu o Fôn, 1701-65), poet, scholar and cartographer, was a native of Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd, Anglesey, and was the eldest of the three brothers known as 'Morrisiaid Môn' (the Morrises of Anglesey). As a young man, he worked as a land-surveyor and was employed by the Bodorgan estate. In 1729 he was appointed a customs officer at Beaumaris and Holyhead, a position which no doubt inspired him to undertake his pioneering survey of the ports and coastline of Wales. His 'Plans of Harbours, Bars, Bays and Roads in St. George's Channel', which included 25 detailed maps, was published in 1748.

It was during this time that Lewis Morris visited Cardiganshire for the first time and became interested in the local leadmining industry. He never returned to Anglesey, and became a customs officer at Aberdyfi. In 1746 he was appointed deputy steward of the Crown manors in Cardiganshire, a position which led to much conflict between Morris and the local squires who challenged the Crown's rights to mine for lead. At the same time, Morris himself began prospecting for lead in the area, a decision which made him even more unpopular with the local gentry. He died at his home in Goginan in 1765.

Morris was regarded as an authority on the Welsh language in his day. He worked on a new edition of John Davies's dictionary and a collection of Welsh proverbs, but they were never completed. He was the author of a large body of light-hearted prose and poetry and his letters to his companions, which are often full of humour and satire, are an important historical source.