THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, and ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS, and other RITES AND CEREMONIES….(Dr. Smith s own copy of "The Proposed Book of Common Prayer" with manuscript corrections)

Episcopal Church; Smith, Rev. Dr. William

Publication Date: 1785

About this Item

This is Rev. Dr. William Smith s own copy with his hand written corrections. He was a member of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church and of the committee in charge of revisions for an American BOCP in 1785. Apparently this copy being for review did not have a title page. An original title page was added later to make this important and historic copy complete- there is a note stating this from John Allington Jr. dated 1859. 6 7/8 x 4 3/8". Later 3/4 leather with marbled boards. Rubbed at edges and finish is chipped and mottled on spine. Original first edition title page, ratification and table of contents, (added). Unpaginated text [362pp.], plus title page for TUNES followed by 8pp.of music, tipped in letter follows music. Lacks the errata leaf, but has the addition of a hand-written prayer at the end (which may be written by Smith as it appears to be in the same hand as the corrections). Title-page has the contemporary ownership signature of "Eliza Scott, 1786" and the small ownership signature of (Rev. Wm. Bacon) Stevens, Rector of St. Andrew s Church in Philadelphia on the margin. Book plate of The Divinity School of the Protestant Episcopal Church in Philadelphia, with a notation that the book was from B. Steven s library on front pastedown. Marbled endpapers, three added blanks, two at front, one at rear plus single preserved endpaper from Eliza Scott s copy also bound in at rear. Added title page etc is spotted and table of contents toned and a bit worn. The original text from Smith s copy is in good condition, printing is somewhat uneven- some pages printed more lightly than others, some pages have darkened and there is some foxing. One leaf has a torn corner, one with tear at edge, neither effecting the text. Original notations from Smith are not extensive but match up with a description of the corrections that appeared in correspondence with Dr. Rev. White reproduced in a journal which also references this exact copy. "Dr. Smith s own copy of the Proposed Book , with the manuscript corrections referred to in this letter forms a particularly valuable and interesting Portion of the extensive Liturgcial collection of Wm. Bacon Steven s, D.D. of Philadelphia. This volume of the authenticity of which there can be no question, has been kindly placed in the hands of the committee to whom the preparation of these illustrative notes has been entrusted, and frequent references to its corrections may be expected in the reprint of the "Proposed Book," which it is proposed to publish in the volume of Appendices to the present series of Journals. " Two pages of this journal, printed as a broadside (in pieces) was attached to front endpaper and a remnant is still there, the pages are now preserved separately. The American Protestant Episcopal Church was founded after the American Revolution as an adaptation of the Church of England in the new United States. The church was founded at a convention in Philadelphia in 1785, at which it was agreed to create a separate prayer book. The present title is the result, and it caused great controversy upon its publication. Among the ill-considered revisions were "changes and omissions of such drastic nature as among other things the deletion of the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds. The Proposed Book proved unwelcome to clergy and laity, even its suggestion of a prayer for the Fourth of July being taken exception to. Its use was brief and not general"…Rare.

Seller Inventory # 56398

Bibliographic Details

• Title: THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, and ADMINISTRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS, and other RITES AND CEREMONIES….(Dr. Smith s own copy of "The Proposed Book of Common Prayer" with manuscript corrections)
• Publication Date: 1785
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Very good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Philosophy and Religion
  • Book of Common Prayer