MATHER, Cotton.
Magnalia Christi Americana: or, the Ecclesiastical History of New-England, From Its First Planting in the Year 1620. unto the Year of our Lord, 1698.
London: Printed for Thomas Parkhurst, at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside , 1702.
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"The most famous 18th century American book": First edition of Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana
First edition of Mather's magnum opus, widely considered the greatest history of New England, a landmark in New England religion and American literature, "the most famous American book of colonial times and the indispensable source for colonial social history" (Streeter). Folio, bound in full crushed levant paneled morocco with gilt titles and tooling to the spine in six compartments within raised gilt bands, triple gilt-ruling, fleuron cornerpieces and central vignette to the front and rear panels, all edges gilt, gilt-ruled turn-ins and inner dentelles, double-page engraved map of New England and New York, without the errata (printed after publication, and not always found). Church 806; Grolier, 100 American 6; Howes M-391; Sabin 46392; Schwartz & Ehrenberg, pp. 133-134; Streeter 658; ESTC T79039. In very good condition.
Mather's magnum opus consists of seven "books" collected into two volumes, and it details the religious development of Massachusetts, and other nearby colonies in New England from 1620 to 1698. Notable parts of the book include Mather's descriptions of the Salem witch trials, in which he criticizes some of the methods of the court and attempts to distance himself from the event; his account of the escape of Hannah Dustan, one of the best known captivity narratives; his complete "catalogus" of all the students who graduated from Harvard College, the story of the founding of Harvard College itself; and his assertions that Puritan slaveholders should do more to convert their slaves to Christianity. "The most famous 18th century American book" and one which Streeter describes as "the most famous American book of colonial times." Mather's is rightly considered an indispensable source for the history of New England in the 17th century, both for its biographies and its history of civil, religious, and military affairs.
Magnalia Christi Americana: or, the Ecclesiastical History of New-England, From Its First Planting in the Year 1620. unto the Year of our Lord, 1698.
$11,000.00
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