1781 Rare Book - The Book of Common Prayer, The Whole Book of Psalms Illustrated
Author: Church of England. (Psalms translated by Thomas Sternhold, John Hopkins, and others.)
Title: The Book of Common Prayer [1781] bound with The Whole Book of Psalms [1783].
Publisher: Oxford, Printed at the Clarendon Press by W. Jackson & A. Hamilton; sold by W. Dawson, Paternoster Row, London, 1781 & 1783.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 8.5 x 5 inches.
Pages: Unpaginated.
Binding: Very good Splendid contemporary full red morocco binding, richly gilt-tooled on boards and spine, featuring an elegant scrolling border and a central gilt monogram cartouche (likely original ownership initials). Raised bands with finely tooled gilt compartments (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt. Attractive early marbled endpapers (brocade-style) with additional prayer leaf pasted at the rear. Minor rubbing, some patina and small marks consistent with age, but overall a very handsome and imposing 18th-century devotional binding.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown). Generally clean with expected gentle age-toning, light foxing to some margins, and occasional handling marks. The volume contains significant early manuscript family records (births 1771–1806) on the front blanks, adding strong genealogical interest. Early engraved memorial bookplate for Leonard Kopp (d. 1785, aged 76) mounted on the front pastedown. Text blocks crisp and well-preserved.
Illustrations: Illustrated with one frontispiece and 35 engraved plates throughout the text, including plates for Evening Prayer, and engraved portraits and devotional imagery accompanying the Psalms. Although the frontispiece claims that the Liturgy contains “55 cuts,” only 35 plates are present in this volume. After extensive research, we were unable to locate any other copies containing either 35 or 55 plates, suggesting that the stated number on the frontispiece does not reliably reflect actual production or that multiple, undocumented states exist. The plates themselves are well-struck, expressive, and representative of late 18th-century Oxford printing.
Estimate: (USD 400–600).
The book: A remarkable and beautifully preserved 18th-century devotional volume, uniting two foundational works of English religious life: The Book of Common Prayer (1781) and The Whole Book of Psalms in English metre (1783). Produced at the renowned Clarendon Press of Oxford, this edition exemplifies the high typographical standards and engraved embellishments characteristic of Anglican liturgical books of the period.
This copy stands out not only for its stately full red morocco gilt binding—a luxury presentation typical of a distinguished household—but also for its deeply layered provenance. The engraved memorial bookplate for Leonard Kopp (1785) and the extensive manuscript family register (1771–1806) reveal a long line of custodians who treated the volume as both a liturgical tool and a family record. Such combined spiritual and genealogical roles were common in 18th-century England, but few survive in such cohesive and appealing condition.
The presence of engraved devotional scenes—Saint Luke, David with his harp, and others—adds further historical charm, complementing the stately typography of the Clarendon Press. A fine and evocative witness to domestic worship in Georgian England.