Printed Pages from English Literature de Brown, George M.L - 1925

NY: Society of Foliophiles, 1925. Quarto. One of 200 copies printed for the Society of Foliophiles, containing 20 original leaves from notable books of English literature from the 16th to the 20th centuries. Unbound, as issued, with each leaf in its respective, annotated folder measuring 12 1/2 by 9 1/2 inches. Some of the leaves included are: a Breviary "Portiforium" for Salisbury Cathedral, printed by J. Kyngston and H. Sutton, in red and black gothic (1555), A Guide to Tongues by J. Minsheu, perhaps the first comparitive linguistic dictionary published in England (1617), the first Irish translation of the Old Testament, printed in Gaelic, London (1685), and the Book of Common Prayer, printed by John Baskerville for the University of Cambridge (1762). The contents of this copy differ slightly from those noted in Chalmers' checklist in Disbound and Disbursed: rather than including the Bacon leaf, 1560-64; "Standing Orders" manuscript leaf, c. 1770; and Master Wace leaf, 1837, this copy contains specimens from Paradise Lost, 1667; Thesaurus Brevium, 1687; and Sallus, 1863. This appears to be a known variant, as WorldCat lists other copies with the same contents in library collections. Typewritten slips accompany most fragments. Housed in publisher's box, with overall wear, splits at corners and hinges, and compression splits; limitation slip present and pasted to inside lid. Minimal spotting to a few specimens, else contents fine. Bookplate. (BCC #44; Chalmers 23).