1617 (Samuel) Purchas his Pilgrimage, or Relations of the World... 3rd edition

The third edition of Samuel Purchas' Pilgrimage, a narrative of the history, discovery, exploration and religions of the world, written from a Protestant point-of-view. Purchas lived near a busy port city, Leigh-on-Sea, and gathered his details from the sailors that called in at the port. He's noted for a care-free writing style that might not always be considered scientifically (or politically) correct, but he does mention details that are not to be found in other writings, making this work still relevant today.

Notably, this work includes several "books" on the Americas, with details gathered from many sources.

Britannica notes "During a time when travel literature had the patriotic purpose of inspiring Englishmen to engage in overseas expansion and enterprise, his collections were read with enthusiasm."

Provenance -

Bookplate of the scholar and author Frederick Ives Carpenter.

Full Descriptive Title -

Purchas his pilgrimage, or Relations of the world and the religions obserued in all ages and places discouered, from the Creation vnto this present. In foure parts. This first contayneth a theologicall and geographicall historie of Asia, Africa, and America, with the land adiacent. Declaring the ancient religions before the Floud, the Heathenish, Jewish, and Saracenicall in all ages since, in those parts professed, with their several opinions, idols, oracles, temples, priests, fasts, feasts, sacrifices and rites religious; their beginnings, proceedings, alterations, sects, orders and successions. With briefe descriptions of the countries, nations, states, discoueries; priuate and publike customes, and the most remarkable rarities of nature, or humane industrie, in the same. The third edition, much enlarged with additions throug the whole worke; by Samuel Purchas, parson of St. Martins by Ludgate London.

Bibliographic Details -

Universal Short Title Catalogue (USTC) number 3007433; not rare, it's found in many of the world's best libraries.

English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC) number S121769

Physical Attributes -

Measures approx. 30 x 20 x 7 cm. Gatherings of six, but USTC states it is a folio (2to). Calf binding; boards with frame of blind fillets around edges. Spine with six raised bands; 6 compartments with a central blind floret, and one compartment with the title in gilt on black morocco. Some decorative initials, headers and footers.

Pages - [40], 1102, [40]. Pagination skipped 1052-1057

Collation - p-pp6, A-Z6, Aa-Zz6, Aaa-Zzz6, Aaaa-Zzzz6, Aaaaa-Ccccc6, Ddddd4. Collates complete, matches USTC.

Condition -

See pictures. Very worn binding (edges/corner, rubbing), could use a rebind. Front board held on by just several of the spine cords. Respined long ago (different leather than the boards, but both are now old). Turn-ins have ghosted the endpapers from back when the leather was oiled. Pastedown with bookplate and some exlibris annotations.

Text block toned throughout, with some thumbing, stray ink marks, dog-eared corners, occasional page edge/corner chip, candle ember mark, etc.

Title page and 2nd leaf heavily toned at bottom corner (severe thumbing?). Some stray ink marks/smudges, underlining and annotation throughout. Some blue graphite marks in the "contents". Occasional stain, like from a drop of tea. Leaf O3 with a tear from bottom and old paper repair. Bottom corner R1 missing, some marginal commentary affected; some other corners seem harvested but no text affected. Vvv1 has 3" missing out of fore-edge margin, affecting some commentary. 4" tear Qqqq4. "Robt Garland" on endpaper