25th Jan, 2023 10:30 GMT/BST
The David Stather Library
214
Witchcraft
Scot (Reginald), The Discoverie of Witchcraft, Wherein the lewde dealing of witches and witchmongers is notablie detected ....
Imprinted by William Brome, 1584, first edition, small quarto in eights, [26], 560, [16] pages, two double sided plates between pages 352 and 353, folding engraved plate (lined) at p.401. Lacking a8. Good quality facsimile replacement of title, B6, L2-6, R1, R4-5, R8, T1, T8, V1-4, V6-7 and S6-8, (the final facsimile page with a British Museum stamp), manuscript title before facsimile printed title and before Book XIII. Stain to upper gutter margin at centre of book, pencil marking, modern calf binding. ESTC S116888
Sold for £6,000
Estimated at £3,000 - £5,000
Auction: The David Stather Library, 25th Jan, 2023
A single-owner sale of the Library of David Stather (1940-2022)
The library comprises a large collection of early books, pamphlets and manuscripts on English history, focusing on the English Civil War, the ‘Popish Plot’, the Monmouth Rebellion and the Glorious Revolution, early Parliament and the Monarchy of that period, the development of English law, the Reformation, early bibles and prayer books, chronicles of English history and some very early books on witchcraft.
The earliest manuscript dates from 1285, and the earliest book is an incunable from 1486, however the majority date from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Interestingly, many are books that contribute to English history rather than just reporting on it, for example the collection includes books reporting the Popish Plot, which were written specifically to create social division through what is now known as ‘fake news’.
The books have been lovingly preserved by David Stather and the auction provides a rare opportunity to purchase books from a very focused collection built up over his lifetime.
Please submit any enquiries for the sale to books@tennants-ltd.co.uk
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Tuesday 24th January 10am-5pm and the morning of the sale from 8am
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