Description
ECCLESIASTES / THE PREACHER 1:1-5:19. Title. Plus: Proverbs 30-31. 2 leaf-set. “To everything there is a season.” (Ecc. 3:1). FIRST EDITION. V.Rare. Less than 100 known copies. Printed in Trenton, NJ by Isaac Collins, 1791. Known as: The Bible of Colonial America. First Family Bible in America. References: Evans 23184. Hills 31.
Provenance: “The Whitall Family Bible”, of 25 preserved OT leaves or leaf-sets; NT preserved separately. Signatories: (1) Ann C[ooper] Whitall (1791-1822, daughter of James and Ann Whitall 1716-1797), to (2) Hannah W[hitall] Tatum (1797 or 1803-1848, Ann’s sister), t0 (3) Anna “Annie” M. Whitall (b.1834, daughter of Alice C. and Israel F. Whitall) as last known owner. Of note: Ann C. and Hannah were sisters not only to Israel but to John M. Whitall (b.1800) the father of Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911), famed Holiness author and evangelist. Ann C[ooper]. Whitall’s grandmother of the same name (1716-1797) is famous for her “heroic” role at the Battle of Red Bank N.J. during the Revolutionary War. Hannah Whitall Smith (1832-1911, daughter of Mary Tatum and John M. Whitall – brother to Ann and Hannah and Israel) aka “angel of the churches” is famous as an early leader/preacher/speaker/teacher/author in the Wesleyan Holiness Movement in England and the U.S. Her books are widely reprinted to this day. The Bible from which these leaves came was, by its signatures, a treasure of the Whitall family. COA and provenance are provided with this leaf-set.
EXCELLENT condition; FULL HEADINGS, though slightly shaved upper margin; see pics. (The paper for this edition was notoriously poor, so a fine or better condition is the exception; shaved margins were common). Bifold Portfolio holds the 2 leaves, easily reversible. Archival Booklet holds a full-sized COA on premium “gold leaf” paper, plus a facsimile of the Bible’s general title w. signatures.
Leaf #1. Obv. Proverbs 30:2-31:19. Rec. Proverbs 31:20-31 + ECCLESIASTES 1:1-2:9. Leaf #2. Obv. ECCLESIASTES 2:10-3:21. Rec. Ecc. 3:22-5:19.
