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The Gentleman's Library: Rules for Conduct 1715 First Edition [George Berkeley]

The Gentleman's Library: Rules for Conduct 1715 First Edition [George Berkeley]

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The Gentleman's Library, Containing Rules for Conduct in All Parts of Life. Written by Gentleman. London; Printed by E. P. for W. Mears..., and J. Browne...; 1715.

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FIRST EDITION of this classic work exploring various topics for gentlemen of the period, including education, religion, drinking, pride, wit and humour, envy, dress, gallantry, impertinent curiosity, and various other things. Many attribute its authorship to George Berkeley who also wrote The Ladies Library published the year prior, but the book is unattributed to the title page etc.
 
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Provenance:
 
Bookplate of "John Rutherfurd, Esq; of Edgerston". John Rutherfurd (1760-1840) was an American politician and land surveyor. John was of English descent, his father was a veteran of the British Army who was held hostage by the Patriots during the Revolutionary War. He studied to law at the College of New Jersey, which is now called Princeton University. He later served as a senator of New Jersey from 1791 to 1798. In 1808, John with his family moved to a farm near Passaic River which they called Edgerston. He lived in Edgerston for the rest of his life.
 
Above the bookplate there is a small handwritten piece of paper attached. It is inscribed "H1-37" which presumably is the shelf mark.

Preliminary is inscribed with "John Ruther..." three times with practice letters and the date "1720". 

 

Size: 110 x 170 x 37 mm (approx.)

 

Condition: 

[blank, A1-A12, a-12, pp.1-431, U-U12].

Spine with very minor rubbing and creasing to backstrip. Backstrip at the head of spine partially detached. Tooled label present with prominent rubbing and fragments lacking. Tail strip attached at edges and loose at the centre. Both boards attached with wear to joints and hinges. Boards with very minor superficial scratches, scuffing, and rubbing. Pen inscriptions on front board. Shelf and edge wear. Toning to page edges. Numerous pen inscriptions on both front and rear pastedown, on preliminary, and on the reverso of U12. Bookplate attached to front pastedown. Text block fairly clean with light toning, sporadic very minor foxing, and few pen inscriptions. Very small wormholes to the bottom of leaves from pp.393 to rear pastedown. Lacking fragment and a large tear to index leaf U11. Tear to leaf U12. Lacking rear blank.

 

[ESTC: T95171]

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