Author: PURCHAS, Samuel
Title: Purchas His Pilgrimage, or Relations of the World and the Religions Observed in Al Ages and Places Discovered, from the Creation Unto This Present... . This First Contayneth a Theologicall and Geographicall Historie of Asia, Africa, and America, with the Ilands Adjacent...
Description: [London], [William Stansby for Henry Fetherstone], 1617. Hardcover. Small 4to. Rebound in deep blue cloth with gilt-lettered burgundy calf spine label. (4pp dedication), (6pp "To the Reader" and epigrams), (18pp "The Contents of the Severall Chapters and Paragraphs"), (8pp "The Catalogve of the Avthors"), (1p "The Names of Manuscripts," etc.), 1-1051, 1058-1102pp, (40pp "An Alphabetical Table of the Principal Things Contained in This Worke"). Numerous woodcut headpieces, tailpieces and initials. Overall very good. Modern rebind is fine and handsome, while text block is tight and only the first few and last few leaves show age toning and some edgewear; top edge likely slightly trimmed, but bulk of text block is clean and bright; pp. 987-996 (5 leaves) have paper loss along upper part of outer margin (not affecting text but removing a few of the small printed margin comments); only major defect of this copy is a title page provided in a modern heavy stock facsimile with tissue guard -- but it is priced accordingly. Attractive third edition of the well-known encyclopedic compendium of worldwide travel narratives compiled by this Anglican clergyman (c. 1577-1616) -- first published in 1613, with a second edition in 1614 and a fourth edition in 1626. As was typical of the period, Purchas never travelled to any of the exotic locales discussed in this work, but he preserved tales told by the many sailors just returned from extended voyages. Books eight and nine (pp. 893-1102) cover North America ("Relations of the Discoveries, Regions, and Religions, of the New World, of New France, Virginia, Florida; New Spaine, with Other Religions of America, Mexico, and of Their Religions"). Most interesting is the delightful blank verso facing the first text page, handsomely penned in bold brown ink by two early owners who clearly much valued this book: Amongst numerous decorative flourishes and paraphs, the top third bears an early 17th century 3-line prayer in an earlier, upright court hand (partly decipherable: "Bid though O Lord harb[or] unto me.. bid thou dearly Lord harb[or] purchased by thy blood" -- winking reference to compiler Purchas?); lower half bears more legible late 17th/early 18th century prayer, first stanza of second part of Psalm 91: "Teach me the Measure of my days / Thou Maker of my Frame / Let me Survey Life's Narrow Space / And learn how frail I am." Despite the facsimile title page, an appealing and quite handleable copy of this famed travelogue. SABIN 66681. STC 20507. .

Keywords: Travel & Exploration


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