Over60 large woodcuts illustrate the text, with some images appearing in both sections. The volume concludes with several poems on the themes of life, death, and the afterlife.

Uncommon: We trace only nine copies in the U.S., all but one in libraries east of the Mississippi.

•  Fairfax-Murray, French, 108; Morin, Bibliothèque bleue de Troyes, 435; Nisard, Histoire des Livres Populaires, II, 303. Binding with minor scuffing at corners and old (good) repairs to head and foot of spine, with leather starting to crack over joints; hinges tender. Pages slightly age-toned, with signature marks shaved.

The deed was witnessed by Richard Peters and John Callahan, and signed by Charles West with his seal next to the signature. In 1787, the document was additionally signed and sealed by Mathew Irwin of the Office for Recording of Deeds for the City and County of Philadelphia.

•  Upper edge uneven; a few small holes along fold lines; some spotting. A pleasing and attractive item of Philadelphiana.

Full text examples include the Lord's Prayer, The Creed, and First, Second, Third, and 15th Psalms.

Lane argues for the “great Benefit that ye Knowledge of this Art might be to the Clergy & all others” on the basis of speed (“as much may be written in one hour as by the Common Long Hand in six or more”) and easy acquisition (“[the rules are] laid down in such a plain and easie manner that any Person may learn it without a Teacher”).

Scarce: A search of ESTC locates seven copies, of which only two are in U.S. libraries. Not traced via OCLC and NUC-1956.

A nice example of a book not printed from moveable type; entirely printed from engraved plates.

•  ESTC T82591.   Sewn in original marbled-paper wrappers. Paper of spine chipped away, taking some paper at inner edge; small chips and nicks at edges of wrappers. Small bite out of outer margin of final leaf of text and final blank leaf; shallow chipping at lower outer corners and bottom margin of one page. Faint waterstaining. A good copy of a fragile little production.  (23729)

Rare: Only one copy traced via NUC Pre-1956, OCLC, and RLIN.

•  Well-preserved contemporary half calf over brown paper speckled black with a little rubbing and flaking on edges and joints. Spine compartments with blind fillets and dogtooth rolls above and below; second with red leather label, blind-stamped. Pages with a little light foxing; notably clean. Inked paper label affixed to front pastedown. All edges red.

Provenance: Bookplate of Thomas Longley (Hawley).

•  Evans 35710; Trumbull, Connecticut, 2313; ESTC W3365. Old calf with remnants of black leather spine label; leather with one gouge to back cover and a bit abraded overall. Tear and chip to front free endpaper; title-page with tiny edge tears. Small wormhole at base of initial three leaves, not touching print. Some leaves extruded with shallow tattering. Bookplate as above on front free endpaper. Offsetting from leather of cover and a brown blot or stain at outer margin of title- and following page; same offsetting to last leaves; some general staining and an ink "x-mark" in margin of one other page. This seems to have been read with enthusiasm! (20994)

•  ESTC T21365. On Langrishe, see: Dictionary of National Biography, LVII, 125. Recently rebound in quarter calf over marbled paper sides, spine with gilt-stamped morocco spine label, gilt-ruled raised bands, and gilt-stamped compartment devices. All edges marbled. Title-page and ten others stamped by a now-defunct institution. Varying degrees of foxing. Lacking final two leaves of appendix (only).

•  ESTC T52110. Removed from a nonce volume and now in a Mylar folder. Edges untrimmed. Sewing all but gone, with a number of leaves separated. Title-page with early inked inscription in lower margin, chips to inner margin, dust-soiling, and old taped tear from outer margin; old repair at inner margin of last two leaves with loss of a few letters. A bit of interior foxing/spotting.

The present copy does not include the thirty pages, mentioned in the subtitle, on the nature of war; the Extract and Some Thoughts were issued as the first and second titles in a collection of religious tracts printed by Henry Miller, and also issued separately (Evans 10352 and 10505). Sabin calls for 48 pages, as found in this copy.

•  Evans 10352; Sabin 39325. On Law, see: Dictionary of National Biography, XXXII, 236–40. Later neat plain cloth binding, spine with gilt-stamped morocco title label; clean. Half-title lacking. Some foxing, mostly marginal. Pencilled notes to top of title-page and final page; early inked ownership inscription to title-page verso, including Philadelphia street address.

The work was later reprinted in Venice.

•  Medina, Mexico, 3999; DeBacker-Sommervogel, IV, 1603-04.   Contemporary limp vellum without the ties. Edges of binding damaged by rodent(s) with loss; sometime repair to small hole at top border of title-page, with limited instances of waterstaining there and to some top margins. A good copy.  (23970)

Click the interior image for an enlargement.

Uncommon.  Searches of OCLC, RLIN, and NUC Pre-1956 locate only one holding of this edition from Madame Ribou, in the U.K. From 1719 to 1740, Pierre Ribou’s widow ran the press he established in 1698.

•  Brunet, IV, 841. Contemporary mottled calf, spines gilt extra, with gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels; bindings rubbed, leather abraded and chipped at joints and extremities. Front fly-leaf of vol. I with early inked initials. Some light foxing; one plate and its opposing leaf with tear to outer margins, just touching image and text.

Click either image for an enlargement.

This particular choirbook was printed with 10 lines of text and music per page. Each leaf contains music and words, and is printed in black and red; text is in black, with an occasional small letter in red, and the music is provided in black square notation on a four-line red staff. Antiphons begin with a tall decorative initial printed in red, as high as the text and music together. The initials vary from leaf to leaf.

•  Crisp, wide margined leaf with slightest bleed-through from one side to another. Printed on handmade paper of 100% rag. A marvelous display, accent, or gift item.

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  Evans 16773; Hildeburn, The Issues of the Press in Pennsylvania, 1685–1784, 4006. Five-digit number stamped above the title; pp. 1 and 2 separated from 3 and 4, and gutter margin repaired, reattaching the halves. Semicircular tear in lower, inside area of all pages, costing a total of 9 or 10 words.

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