This variant reads “II. Bookes”on line 7 of the title-page; R4 is cancelled and not present here, as is the case in most copies. The second portion has a separate title-page printed in red and black, giving Anarchia Anglicana: Or, the History of Independency as the title and the pseudonymous Theodorus Verax as the author.

Relations: ESTC R205117; Wing (rev.) W334A. Appendix: ESTC R233193; Wing (rev.) W321A. Anarchia: ESTC R27579; Wing (rev.) W317. High Court: ESTC R207365;Wing (rev.) W325. History, fourth part: ESTC R18043; Wing (rev.) M81B. Fourth part: Issued as part of Wing W324, “and possibly separately” as well according to ESTC. Contemporary calf, covers framed and panelled in blind with blind-tooled corner fleurons, sometime rebacked with first leaves tipped (back) in; spine with new gilt-stamped title, sides rubbed and abraded. Front free endpaper lacking. Front pastedown with old institutional bookplate and pencilled notations, title-page with faded rubber-stamp (and with author’s name added in an early hand), back pastedown and lower edges of closed book rubber-stamped. Two title-pages with one short tear from outer edge each, not touching text; title-page verso with shadows of pencilled numerals. Lower and outer margins trimmed closely, in some cases touching catchwords, signature marks, or shouldernotes.

•  ESTC T36741. Now in a Mylar folder; edges uncut. Some creasing, with ink markings from press.

Provenance: First and last leaves stamped by the Lyceum Library of Hull (founded in 1807, and later dispersed in a famous sale).

•  NCBEL, II, 1591. On Walpole, see the Dictionary of National Biography. Contemporary half calf over marbled paper–covered sides, spines with gilt-stamped leather title labels and gilt-stamped floral decorations in compartments. Board edges rubbed, with the spine gilt somewhat dimmed. All page edges marbled to match the boards. Elegant.

•  Goldsmiths'-Kress 18239; NSTC W529. Recent paper wrappers. Some instances of light foxing and offsetting.

•  NSTC 2W12242.   Publisher's maroon pebbled cloth, covers and spine gilt-stamped, rebacked preserving original spine; corners rubbed, spine darkened, covers institutionally pressure-stamped. All edges gilt. Title-page and first text page faintly rubber-stamped by a now-defunct institution. One plate with tear from upper margin extending into image and two other leaves each with a tear not reaching text; some instances of damage where one leaf sometime adhered to another; general soiling. Faults obvious and to be noted, but — amazing.  (23862)

•  ESTC T25456. Sewn, signatures separating, now in a Mylar folder. Edges untrimmed. Title-page with small numerical stamp and slight spotting; title-page and page edges darkened; a copy dog-eared and bumped.

Click the images for enlargements.

Whitworth was perhaps the most effective English ambassador to Russia in the first half of the 18th century. His Account was originally written for the foreign office and remained in manuscript till Walpole printed it. The DNB (on-line) writes of it, “Succinct and perceptive, it was a survey of Petrine Russia which held its readership through to the century's end and beyond.”

Horace Walpole (1717–97), the 4th earl of Orford, is best remembered as the author of the Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto. Among bibliophiles he is also remembered for his private press, variously known as the Officina Arbutana or the Strawberry Hill Press. Walpole's almost fantastic wealth allowed him the connoisseur's luxury of maintaining this noble enterprise, which he operated in the arena of the rebirth of fine printing in Great Britain that was being carried on by the Foulis brothers, Baskerville, and others.

Provenance:  20th-century bookplate of William & Helena Hand.

•  Hazen (1973 ed.), Bibliography of the Strawberry Hill Press, 5; ESTC T138827; Rothschild 2560; Cox, I, 195.   Contemporary sprinkled calf, gilt spine extra, gilt dull; joints and hinges with good repairs. Two old booksellers' descriptions taped to front pastedown. Off-setting from the turn-ins on the front and rear free endpapers and fly-leaves, title-page, and errata leaf; else, quite clean. A handsome book.  (26862)

•  ESTC T167984. On Williams, see: The Dictionary of National Biography, LXI, 390–93. Removed from a nonce volume. Occasional spots of foxing with some offsetting around plates; some leaves dog-eared.

Click the image for an enlargement.

•  NSTC 2F755 & 2W16139.   Disbound. A few light brown spots on title-page. A very good copy.  (11078)

•  Goldsmiths'-Kress 32703.2; NSTC 2R11046 & 2W25177. In recent wrappers; previously removed from nonce volume. Light soiling and staining on outer pages. Closely trimmed by binder with lost of part of last line on last two pages. Inked number on title-page.

•  Cahoon, 56. Boards, printed label. Fine, without printed dust jacket, as issued.

•  ESTC T121646; NCBEL, II, 695. Removed from a nonce volume and now in a Mylar folder. One corner creased; first and last page lightly spotted, otherwise clean.

Click the images for enlargements.

Provenance: Signature to endpaper of John Gates, 1826; signature also, undated, of R. Woodward. On rear free endpaper, now separated, “Woodward. Bot of J. C. Yates, the Cluttenango Polytechni[q?]. 10, 1831.”

•  Shoemaker 23367.   Publisher's “treed” and mottled sheep, abraded and with streaks of discoloration; spine with chipped leather gilt-stamped label, darkened and cracked/chipped as by fire. Some signatures loosening. Foxing and with staining; old water-damage, front and rear. Ownership inscriptions as above. A copy that's “been through it” as absolutely as our description will suggest; but complete, usable, and as meaty as it ever was.  (21752)

•  ESTC T11040. Sewing almost entirely gone, now in a Mylar folder. Title-page stamped by a now-defunct institution, with numeral inked in an early hand in upper margin; three other pages stamped. Pages uncut; some corners dog-eared.