Description
AB117934, Rawlet John; Ken Thomas Bishop of Bath & Wells, Poetick Miscellanies of Mr. John Rawlet, B.D. and late Lecturer of S. Nicholas Church in the Town and County of New-Castle upon Tine [bound together with] Directions for Prayer, for the Diocese of Bath and Wells Price 1d, London, 1687, Samuel Tidmarsh, First Edition, Contemporary Full Leather, Very Good, Octavo, pp. (2) blank, frontispiece portrait., (2) title, blank, (ii) introductory epitaph by J. M. (John March), On his Divine Poems, (2) contents, 142 + (1) supplied in m.s.( in 17th century hand); 16. Please note the 1d price signifies that the latter work is the first edition of Ken’s Directions for Prayer which whilst undated evidently precedes the 1686 second edition priced at 2d. Though present neither pastedowns are pasted down & both have ownership signatures & dates (17th & 18th centuries) as do the ffep & blank recto of the portrait. Original owner notes the book’s price as 1s 8d dated September 22nd 1687. Above the portrait itself is written “This is the prittyest picture..” Small fragments are missing at tail edge of portrait just affecting crosshatched lines framing the wording beneath the image. Tail half of the last sheet (pp.15/16) of the second work has very slight loss of occasional letters in gutter margin where it touched the rear pastedown. Apart from occasional light staining the texts of both these extremely scarce 17th century divine works are clean & housed in a plain, unassuming & yet gloriously patinated 17th century binding that with luck & the odd lick of Marney’s will be good for another 300 years.
