The Secret History of the Reigns of K. Charles II, and K. James II.

  • (English History)
  • [London?]: Printed in the Year 1690
  • ESTC R9835.

£300

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SKU: 6531 Category: Tag:

Description

FIRST EDITION, 12mo, pp. [iv], 96, 87-134, 145-214. Text continuous despite pagination. Contemporary speckled sheep, boards bordered with and spine divided by double blind rules, edges sprinkled red. Some scattered toning, final gathering browned, a touch of soiling. Just a little rubbing to extremities, pastedowns lifted. Bookplate of the North Library of Shirburn Castle to inside front board, armorial bookplate of Thomas Parker of the Inner Temple, Esq. to verso of title-page, blind stamp of the Earls of Macclesfield to first three leaves, old paper shelf-labels to spine.

Notes

An anonymous, anti-Catholic history of the monarchs immediately preceding the 1688 Glorious Revolution. It has variously been attributed to John Phillips (1631-1706) nephew of John Milton and writer, or Nathaniel Crouch (c.1640-1725), writer and bookseller. ESTC records 2 other partial re-impressions of this title, all dated 1690 and identifiable by pagination differences, with no precedence established. Per ESTC, it was reprinted 'in a very much altered form' the following year as the second part of 'The secret history, of the four last monarchs of Great-Britain'; comparison of the texts reveals that the rewriting was substantial indeed, although this text may have served as a basis the 1691 book, the latter is essentially a new work. This copy belonged to Thomas Parker, 1st Earl of Macclesfield and joined his family library at Shirburn Castle.

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