▁his ▁death . ▁ ▁In ▁that ▁period ical , ▁and ▁in ▁his ▁numerous ▁volumes ▁of ▁A ne cdot es ▁and ▁Illustr ations , ▁he ▁made ▁numerous ▁contributions ▁to ▁literary ▁bi ography . ▁As ▁his ▁materials ▁accum ulated ▁he ▁compiled ▁a ▁sort ▁of ▁an ec dot al ▁literary ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁century , ▁based ▁on ▁a ▁large ▁collection ▁of ▁letters . ▁The ▁Liter ary ▁A ne cdot es ▁of ▁the ▁E igh teenth ▁Century ▁( 1 8 1 2 – 1 5 , ▁nine ▁volumes ), ▁into ▁which ▁the ▁original ▁work ▁was ▁expanded , ▁forms ▁only ▁a ▁small ▁part ▁of ▁Nich ols ' s ▁production . ▁ ▁Consider ed ▁one ▁of ▁his ▁most ▁important ▁works , ▁Nich ols ' s ▁monument al ▁History ▁and ▁Anti qu ities ▁of ▁the ▁County ▁of ▁Le ic ester , ▁was ▁the ▁most ▁am bit ious ▁of ▁the ▁anti qu arian ▁county ▁histor ies ▁( ext rem ely ▁long , ▁but ▁the ▁quality ▁of ▁the ▁content ▁is ▁very ▁variable ), ▁a ▁massive ▁comp end ium ▁of ▁historical ▁notes , ▁manuscript s ▁and ▁eng ra ved ▁pl ates ▁printed ▁by ▁subscription ▁after ▁an ▁exhaust ive ▁survey ▁of ▁the ▁county , ▁and ▁published ▁in ▁eight ▁parts ▁not ▁in ▁chron ological ▁order ▁to ▁make ▁up ▁four ▁volumes ▁when ▁complete , ▁from ▁ 1 7 9 5 – 1 8 1 5 . ▁It ▁was ▁followed ▁by ▁the ▁Illustr ations ▁of ▁the ▁Liter ary ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁E igh teenth ▁Century , ▁consisting ▁of ▁Auth entic ▁Mem oir s ▁and ▁Original ▁Let ters