The Pilgrim’s Progress
BUNYAN, John
A New [Second] Edition, divided into Chapters. [With] large explanatory and practical Notes. With the Life of the Author: by G. Burder.
HANDSOME COPY OF A RARE COVENTRY ISSUE
Published: M. Luckman Coventry and J. Mathews 18 Strand London, 1791
Stock code: 15114
Price: £384.00
2 parts in one vol., 12mo., on laid paper, with an engraved frontispiece and 8 engraved plates, some mild age-staining (rather heavier on frontispiece and some plates), contemporary name on title; strongly and attractively bound in early nineteenth-century half roan, marbled boards tooled in gilt, back with four flat bands elaborately tooled in gilt, second compartment lettered in gilt, red sprinkled edges, a very good, firm copy in well-preserved period binding.
With three pages of hymns and single-page publisher's advertisement at rear. L6 has short tear (not affecting text) and neat repair at upper margin. The work is divided into two parts as often. Burder was a Congregationalist minister [sometime active in Coventry] who began life as an engraver but subsequently played an important role in the founding of the RTS. His edition of 'The Pilgrim's Progress' (1786) is the first to be divided into chapters and was frequently reprinted. This is apparently the second Coventry printing; we have a note of an earlier (1790) version issued by Luckman & Suffield. In the earlier issue the pagination is similar but the plates include a frontispiece to each part; here the number of plates remains the same, but all are numbered for inclusion in the first part. Rare. ESTC lists only the 1786 edition.