•  On the Pontifical, see: New Catholic Encyclopedia, XI, 549–50. Later speckled sheep, spine sumptuously gilt with white leather title label, gilt lettered. All edges speckled red and blue. Leather with fine pitting, with peelings and scratches; spine leather dry and rubbed with some loss of gilt. Browning on pastedowns, front pastedown with wormhole. Paper generally clean with occasional spots of of soiling or staining on first and last few leaves. Pages closely trimmed by binder, shaving some headers. This copy was obviously used, as there is a goodly amount of marginalia (some cut off by the binder’s trimming), including supplemental directions for the rite and forms for the Latin singular when this is not provided by the text. Despite its use, it is in very good condition for a liturgical book and indeed most impressive and engaging.

Provenance: The front fly-leaf bears an inked inscription reading “From this Book our 4 Dear Children were Babtized [sic] by the Rev. S. Good, Rector of St. Anns Blk. Friars, And afterwards Christened by their Dear Uncle the Rev. Charles Brown, Rector of Whitestone, near Exeter, Devon.” The children's baptismal dates range from 1806 through 1814.

•  ESTC T93069; Griffiths, Bibliography of the Book of Common Prayer, 1791/7. Binding as above, leather slightly worn over joints and extremities. Front fly-leaf with collector's small bookplate, reverse with inscription as above, title-page with owner's name and date (1806) inked in upper margin. Pages clean.

Binding:  Contemporary red straight-grain morocco, covers framed in gilt rolls and fillets, board edges with gilt roll of hashmark pattern. Spine gilt extra, turn-ins with Greek key gilt roll. All edges gilt. Housed in a black cloth slipcase with printed paper label.

•  NSTC L1859. Griffiths, Book of Common Prayer, 1814/3 (giving incorrect pagination, but correct collation by signature).   Binding as above, gilt dimmed in some places, front cover with faintly incised circular markings; edges, extremities, and joints rubbed. Some age-toning, occasional smudges. Final two leaves darkened, with short edge tears.  (24017)

The typography is by the Royal Press and is handsome, employing roman and italic faces in a variety of point sizes. The text is presented in single and double-column format with finely engraved initials, and head- and tailpieces. The title-pages are printed in red and black with an engraved vignette.

Binding:  Contemporary treed sheep, covers framed in double gilt fillets, spines with gilt-stamped red leather label, gilt-ruled raised bands, and elaborately gilt-tooled floral decorations in compartments.   A most pleasing production!

•  Bound as above, covers with some cuts/abrasions, rubbing at corners and joints, surface cracks on spines; spines of vols. I and II with head and foot chipped. Front pastedowns with institutional bookplates; front free endpapers with early inked ownership inscriptions. Ex-library with old shelf labels to spines, and pressure-stamps (not rubber-stamps) including some on title-pages. All edges marbled, and marbled endpapers. Imposing.  (21444)

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.