The Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, commonly called Ecclesiasticus
Chelsea, Ashendene Press, 1932 (first thus).
Tall quarto, [ii] (title leaf, verso blank), 182 pages printed in red and black Subiaco type, with woodcut initials printed in green and blue, and a large woodcut printer's device printed in red on the colophon.
Original overlapping orange vellum by W.H. Smith & Son, lettered in gilt on the spine, with silk ribbon ties; all edges uncut; vellum slightly rubbed at the edges; essentially a fine copy.
A superb example of private press printing. This is one of 328 copies on Batchelor handmade paper, with a further 25 copies printed on vellum. The colophon reads in full: 'Printed by C.H. St J. Hornby at the Ashendene Press, Shelley House, Chelsea, with the help of H. Gage-Cole, Pressman, and A.J. Fisk, Compositor, and finished in July of the year 1932. The initial letters in colour are by the hands of Graily Hewitt & his assistants Ida D. Henstock and Helen E. Hinkley'. Ecclesiasticus, a collection of ethical teachings attributed to Joshua ben Sirach, is one of the biblical apocrypha. The text of this edition was collated by A.D. Power using the Authorised and Revised versions, with reference to versions in Greek, Syriac, Latin and the original Hebrew.
Item #123831
Price (AUD):
$7,500.00