The “Secunda editio, a mendis purgata” on the title-page refers to corrections made in the 1717 edition of errors found in the 1708 edition. The line “cura et studio Johannis Leusden et Caroli Schaaf. Editum ad omnes editiones diligenter recensitum; & variis lectionibus, magno labore collectis, adornatum” tells the readers that Leusden (1624–99) and Schaaf (1646–1729), two of the leading scholars of Syriac in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, made this the edition one they can rely upon.

The editors did not see eye to eye on the matter of pointing, and up through Luke 17.26 Leusden's preference (based on the Chaldean system) was used — after which Schaarf began using the system favored by the Walton Polyglott — Leusden having died at that editorial point in the project!

Title in Syriac at head of title-page, which page is printed in red and black and has an engraved printer's device. There are woodcut head- and tailpieces and initials in the text, which is printed with the Syriac text in parallel columns with a Latin translation, in double-column format. A handsome production.

•  Kubler, A New History of Stereotyping, pp. 39–41. Darlow & Moule 8969.   Recent full brown calf, old style by Grace Bindings: raised bands, gilt ruling above and below the bands as accents, gilt center devices in spine compartments. Covers with concentric compartments accomplished using rules, rolls, and corner devices. Private presentation inscription to an Episcopal diocesan library on reverse of last leaf, with no other markings at all; a clean, satisfactory copy.  (23054)

•  Brunet, II, 1119; Darlow & Moule 4560. Recent period-style full morocco, framed and panelled in blind rolls with blind-stamped corner fleurons, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label, gilt-ruled raised bands, and gilt-stamped decorations in compartments (signed by Grace Bindings in blind at inner area of rear cover, lower turn-in). Lower margin of title-page with a defunct library’s old presentation rubber-stamp. A few instances of light foxing, most pages clean and the margins beautifully wide.

Rare edition.  ESTC locates only the copy at the National Library of Scotland.

•  ESTC T200528; not in Darlow & Moule. Period-style modern calf, framed and panelled in blind, with blind-tooled corner fleurons, spine with gilt-stamped title and gilt-stamped decorations within compartments. Title-page with lower corner repaired, with loss of letters from imprint. Pages browned and with occasional staining; some corners dog-eared. Lower corner of one leaf (Psalm 118) torn away, with loss of a few letters.

The book first appeared in the late 17th century, and while it may well have been reprinted more than once, neither NUC nor RLIN shows any edition other than one of 1695. Moreover, apparently the 1695 copy that appears in both those bibliographical sources is the same incomplete one. This magnificent collection of engravings is clearly rare.

Binding: Contemporary red straight-grain morocco, covers framed in gilt single fillet, spine with gilt-stamped title. All edges gilt.

•  NSTC B2162; Lowndes, Bibliographer’s Manual, 2002 (for 1798 Tattersall ed.); Allibone, Critical Dictionary of English Literature, 1269 (likewise). Binding as above, spine and outer edge of front cover darkened, joints and edges with moderate shelf wear. Front pastedown with institutional bookplate and donor bookplate; front free endpaper reverse with inked ownership inscription and pencilled inscription dated 1814; title-page with small inked initials in upper outer corner. Light foxing. In fact quite nice.

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 19531; O’Callaghan 102; Rumball-Petre, Rare Bibles, 185. Contemporary sheep, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label; binding scuffed and rubbed, spine extremities chipped. Front free endpaper excised; half-title with old ink stain partially obscuring two letters of “Nouveau.” Foxed throughout; some corners bumped. One leaf with two tears through text, without loss; one leaf with upper outer corner torn away, with loss of words in five lines (each side); three leaves torn along inner margins (not touching text) and another torn from outer margin, extending into text without loss.

erotic text

Copies with all seven plates and the map are not as common as they once were.

•  Hills 209; O’Callaghan p. 108; Shaw & Shoemaker 24829; Wright, Early American Bibles, 352–53; Rumball-Petre, Rare Bibles, 188. Contemporary sheep, spine with raised bands and gilt-stamped leather title-label; binding and spine label rubbed, with a few pinpoint holes of insect damage to spine. Small ticket of a private collector on front pastedown; one plate with inked ownership inscription dated 1824 on the reverse. Folding map torn along inner edge, tear repaired some time ago; map foxed, with small edge chips. Pages age-toned, with some spotting; edges tattered, occasionally with loss of a few letters in shouldernotes. Two signatures (one in index) separated, one with outer edges chewed, affecting a number of words; one leaf torn across; one plate with short tear to outer margin not touching image; one leaf with portion of first few lines torn away and now laid in. Botanical matter laid in, as well as that other thing.

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 27881.   Publisher's sheep, red leather gilt-stamped title label and gilt rules on spine; rubbed and corners bumped with leather cracked over joints. Offsetting from turn-ins to endpapers and first/last leaves, with some pencil marks to front pastedown; notable age-toning and foxing throughout except to pp. 379–402, which makes this an interesting volume for book-studies teaching purposes. One page with impression faint at beginning of most lines; otherwise, a clean and complete text.  (21738)

•  Darlow & Moule 2201. Contemporary diced morocco, spine with gilt-stamped leather title-label and blind-tooled decorations in compartments; abraded, leather pulled at spine and headband mostly detached, front hinge (inside) cracked. All edges marbled. Light foxing throughout. A few lower corners crumpled; page edges very occasionally ragged, in one case touching a few letters.

Provenance: Front pastedown with small booklabel of prominent collector Michael Zinman.

•  Shaw & Shoemaker 34103; O’Callaghan, 126–27; Rumball-Petrie 193; not in Darlow & Moule. Contemporary sheep, framed and panelled in blind; leather abraded, with spine greatly rubbed and pitted (no label). Front pastedown with inscription scraped away. Pages age-toned, with some foxed and the last few waterstained. One leaf with tear from outer margin, touching a few letters. Two leaves bound in upside-down.

•  Darlow & Moule 8382.   Modern oxblood velvet–covered boards, unadorned; showing virtually no wear and housed in a plain box. Title-page with fountain pen inscription in upper portion (in Cyrillic except for “Kingston R.I. U.S.A.”) and inked owner's name in lower portion. Several contemporary silk bookmarks laid in. First three leaves with inner margins reinforced, one leaf with outer margin and one with lower margin reinforced. Light foxing; a number of pages with pencilled numerals in margins.  (24138)

Click the interior image for an enlargement.

Arndt and Eck cite Bender, who says “This first American Mennonite Hymnbook is not to be confused with one of similar title printed by Saur at Germantown in 1753, called erroneously by Seidensticker and Flory a Mennonite hymnbook.” Each portion of this item has a separate title-page, with the second section's title-page reading Sammlung altre und neuer Geistreichen Gesänge.

•  Arndt & Eck 2419; Shoemaker 2239.   Contemporary sheep, clasps; later spine labels; leather dry and abraded with significant patch missing from top of spine; cracked along joints and down the spine (this is not quite “about to break” but one can see that as possible “out there,” so it is “priced accordingly.”)  Pages clean, with just the usual foxing on early and later leaves including title-page.  (21769)

Provenance: Late-20th-century booklabel of Michael Zinman on front pastedown.

•  Darlow & Moule 8495; Shoemaker 11841; not in O'Callaghan. Contemporary sheep; spine with gilt rules and a black leather title label, gilt-lettered. Some rubbing and abrasions; spine leather dry with fine cracks, top of front joint opening. Pages with scattered foxing and browning; in a few places chipping in the margins, not affecting text—typical degrees of this only. Paper label probably from a lending library, affixed to front pastedown; pencilled notes, including ownership inscriptions, on endpapers. All edges speckled red.