A CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY OF NEW-ENGLAND IN THE FORM OF ANNALS BEING A SUMMARY AND EXACT ACCOUNT OF THE MOST MATERIAL TRANSACTIONS AND OCCURRENCES RELATING TO THIS COUNTRY, IN THE ORDER OF TIME WHEREIN THEY HAPPENED, FROM THE DISCOVERY BY CAPT. GOSNOLD IN 1602, TO THE ARRIVAL OF GOVERNOR BELCHER, IN 1730. WITH AN INTRODUCTION ... VOL. I.
Boston, N.E. Printed by Kneeland & Green for S. Gerrish. 1736. [10], xi, [1], 20, 104, [2], 254 pp, as issued. Title printed in red and black inks. Page 202 is misnumbered 102 as issued. The 20-page List of Subscribers is filled with the names of New England's political, social, and religious elite. Contemporary calf, rebacked, spine gilt lettered. Upper blank corner of front free endpaper torn; lower margin tear at first page of Subscriber List affects a letter in the name of a subscriber; faint rubberstamp at blank verso of title page. Very Good. Ownership signature of the great bookseller Edward Eberstadt at upper corner of title page.
Volume I was "all" [Howes] that was published; Volume II appeared in 1755, with the title, 'Annals of New-England.' Our "Volume I brings the Chronology down to September 7, 1630. The second volume was commenced in 1755, and three numbers printed, continuing the Chronology to August 5, 1633" [Evans].
Prince was one of the first great collectors of American history and literature. His Library contained five Bay Psalm Books. "With great diligence and care [Prince] prepared the material for his Chronological history. His aim was to present an epitome of history in the briefest and most accurate form. A strictly chronological arrangement and the simplest form of human statement were chosen. As an introduction to the work he traced general chronology from the creation till the accession of James I. Then began the work proper-- New England chronology. Of this only a part was completed, viz.: that from the accession of James I till a few months subsequent to the landing of Winthrop and his colonists in Massachusetts Bay. Prince was one of the most accurate of compilers. He was intensely critical, though living a century before the art of criticism began generally to be applied to the preparation of historic material. The quaint statement given in his preface of what he considered to be his duty as an historian in the matter of accuracy and fairness is one of the gems of early New England literature. Even as a fragment, the Chronological history of New England is the most scholarly piece of literary work wrought in America during the colonial time'" [Larned; internal quotation marks omitted].
FIRST EDITION. Howes P615aa. Larned 1010. Church 925. Evans 4068. ESTC W30371. Item #41413
Price: $1,500.00