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Binding: Publisher's crimson cloth, front cover and spine gilt- and black-stamped, back cover black-stamped. All edges gilt. Actually, breathtaking.

•  Binding as above, clean and bright with only very faint traces of wear to corners and joints. Pages clean; some lower outer corners slightly crumpled. It is hard to imagine a better copy.  (23709)

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The original Whole Duty is now generally ascribed to Allestree although, as the DNB says, “it has by some been supposed that Allestree joined [his good friend and biographer] Bishop [John] Fell” in writing it.” Allestree (1619–81) was a royalist Church of England clergyman; Bishop Fell reports that “few of his time had either a greater compass or a deeper insight into all parts of learning” (DNB). The hand responsible for the present alterations of his most famous work has not yet been identified.

The volume begins with a copper-engraved frontispiece depicting Moses giving the law and Jesus giving grace and truth, and an additional engraved title-page. The frontispiece to the original edition, done byHollar, is reproduced here as a full-page illustration. The section of “Private Devotions: Containing directions and prayers for morning and evening . . .” has a separate title-page.

Provenance: Large ownership note of Nathan Levering on imprimitur page; the start, perhaps, of his second signature (much smaller) to the bottom of the title-page.

This edition is uncommon, as are most of the other printings from this time period.  OCLC and ESTC locate only three U.S. institutional holdings, two of which have since been deaccessioned.

•  ESTC T80506. On Allestree, see: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography online.   Contemporary speckled calf framed in gilt double fillets, recently rebacked, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label and gilt-dotted raised bands; corners and edges rubbed. Lower edges (closed) institutionally rubber-stamped; frontispiece and several pages pressure-stamped; dedication with inked annotation and numeral. Front fly-leaf with early inked annotation consisting mostly of numerals; title-page verso with inked ownership inscription as above. Foxing and the occasional stain; one leaf with short tear from outer margin touching text without loss; one index leaf with tear affecting a few words. In fact, a decent copy of this interesting book.  (25857)

•  ESTC T1702. Recent marbled paper–covered boards, front cover with printed paper label. Half-title lacking. Title-page and two others stamped by a now-defunct institution; leaves with reinforced tears at inner margins.

•  Sternick 496.4 (describing binding as red).   Publisher's blind-stamped green textured cloth, spines gilt extra; bindings fresh and clean. Eight vols. of 12 present. Each volume with inked ownership inscription dated 1863 on front free endpaper. Pages slightly age-toned with occasional faint offsetting from illustrations, generally clean. A beautiful set, virtually as new.  (24423)

The subject of this work is the rivalry between Spain and France for political and religious supremacy in the Catholic realm of Europe, but the author also discusses national traits, as he sees them, such as manner of dressing, walking, eating, and talking.

•  Palau 97802.   Recent boards covered with marbled paper; leather spine label gilt with title. Some lower margins irregular due to natural paper flaws. All edges speckled red. A very good copy.  (25812)

•  Publisher's paper-covered boards, front cover as above, in original dust wrapper; binding very slightly cocked, paper just starting to crack along part of back joint, jacket sunned with edges and extremities rubbed, back corner creased, and a few small edge nicks. Front free endpaper with bookseller's small ticket.  (24488)

•  NSTC 2M14137. Removed from a nonce volume. Pages clean. (16756)

Provenance: 19th-century ownership signatures on front pastedown or front fly-leaf of John T. Wait (Dec. 14, 1839), Luther Spalding (undated), and W.H. Richards.

•  Evans 29025; ESTC W29507; Sabin 44848. On Cobbett, see: The Dictionary of National Biography, XI, 142–45. Contemporary sheep, framed in blind with a roll of a rope design, spine with gilt-stamped title-label; leather worn at edges and front cover expertly reattached, spine worn with chipping. Ownership inscriptions as above. Minor spotting and offsetting.

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Preliminary pages include the testimonials or “Recommendations” (pp. iii–iv) and a “Preface” (pp. [xiii]–xxv). At the end are “On fulfilling engagements and paying debts. From a sermon by the late President Edwards,” “On the religious education of children. (From the Christian observer),” “On sanctifying the Sabbath-Day. By Sir Matthew Hale. (From the same),” and the table of contents.

•  Sabin 46307; Shaw & Shoemaker 35227; Holmes, Cotton Mather, 112-E.   Contemporary sheep, rubbed and abraded. Rebacked, with gilt title on red leather spine label. Offsetting from leather on endpapers, fly-leaves, and title-page, at edges. Variable foxing. Ex-library: Front pastedown with library bookplates, not uninteresting, and front free endpaper with early inked signature; title-page additionally with pressure-stamp and penciling on verso; institutional rubber-stamp on front free endpaper and at base of p. [iii]. Small paper loss at outer margin of pp. 151/152 and pp. 155/156 without any loss of text. Lacks “Editor’s preface, with a sketch of the author’s life” (pp. v–xii).  (24571)

Provenance: Inscription to Ellie Bond Robinson (from her cousin Elizabeth); elegant small booklabel, “Gardner.”

•  Publisher’s textured cloth, framed in blind, front cover with gilt-stamped title; covers and corners showing very slight traces of wear. Front free endpaper with small booklabel and with inked gift inscription dated 1887. One flap (“Circumspection”) lacking, with all other flaps present and working. An attractive copy of an uncommon item.

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Though Nares is quite capable of picking nits with a level of scrupulousness to match that of the most pedantic of scholars, he is also prone to flights of fancy such as pondering—after noting that a married woman’s moveable goods are unquestionably the property of her husband— “whether the female tongue is to be reckoned among the moveables . . . I believe it is pretty generally held to continue ‘in potestate Mulieris,’ even after marriage, and I know nothing to prevent it” (p. 148). This is followed up with references to Ovid, the Wife of Bath, and the much-storied Flitch of Bacon!

•  Contemporary half calf with marbled paper sides, spines with gilt-stamped helm decorations and gilt-stamped leather title and volume labels (the volume labels recently supplied, in sympathetic style). Board edges showing light to moderate wear, with leather cracking at joints and crackled over the spines generally. Top edges gilt. Front pastedowns with bookplates now partially torn away; title-page of vol. II with an early inked ownership inscription in the upper margin. Delightful reading, as well as an overall attractive set.

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Provenance: 18th-century inscription, “Master Griffith Boynton”; 20th-century bookplate of the John Donne scholar Charles Monroe Coffin.

•  ESTC T76120. On Norris, see: Dictionary of National Biography.   Contemporary speckled calf, framed and panelled (with plain calf) in blind with blind-tooled corner fleurons, rebacked, spine with recent gilt-stamped leather title-label; edges and corners showing minor rubbing, front cover with small faint area of staining from a now-absent paper label. Front pastedown with private collector's bookplate (institutionally rubber-stamped), as above; front free endpaper with inked inscription, as above; title-page institutionally rubber-stamped in lower margin. Two pencilled marginal annotations; scattered pencilled bracketing. Pages age-toned, with occasional light spotting. (20902)

•  Shoemaker 6710. Publisher's sheep. Abrasions to covers and spine, with pieces of leather flaked off; joints abraded. Foxing. Tear to rear free endpaper. Bookplate on front pastedown. (1078)

•  Foxon S147. Recent marbled paper wrappers; lacking half-title.

The work is generally attributed to the Comte de Ségur, a diplomat and historian who served under Rochambeau in the American War of Independence; he also published works on classical and Jewish history.

•  Old-style blue morocco, covers framed in double gilt fillets, spine with gilt-ruled raised bands and gilt-stamped devices in compartments, leather turndowns tooled in blind. Tear in upper margin of one leaf repaired very unobtrusively; several leaves with closed tears or holes also professionally patched, just touching a few letters; one leaf with clear tape covering tear. Pages washed, resized, and very clean, with only a few faint spots; edges slightly brittle, with occasional very short tears.

•  Sewn in publisher’s color-flecked paper wrappers. A crisp, clean copy.

•  Publisher's brown cloth, front cover and spine with gilt-stamped title; binding slightly cocked, corners and spine extremities rubbed, gilt partially oxidized (quiet attractively). Back hinge tender. Front fly-leaf with early pencilled ownership inscription. Early portions of text with pencilled emphasis marks and some underlining. All edges red. A nifty period piece.  (20333)