Rare HOOPER 1550 SERMONS JONAH Religion PROTESTANT MARTYR Carved Wood BINDING
Item History & Price
Reference Number: Avaluer:542094 | Non-Fiction Subject: Religion, Spirituality & Bibles |
Language: English | Year Printed: 1550 |
Place of Publication: LONDON | Binding: WOODEN |
Special Attributes: 1st Edition |
Imprinted at London
By Ihon Tisdale, dwelling in Knight Riderstrete
First Edition
A remarkable survival, a first edition of these sermons by John Hooper (Johan Hoper, 1495 – 1555) Anglican Bishop of Gloucester, reformer and a Protestant martyr. Ex...ecuted for heresy by burning alive at the stake during the reign of Queen Mary I "Bloody Mary" in 1555.
The volume has been completely rebound, with an attractive modern leather spine, with ornately carved 19th century wooden boards with religious designs, by Susan White of Chester, c1850.
It measures approx. 14cm x 10.2cm x 4cm. The binding is very impressive, and in superb and firm condition. Internally, there are modern crisp endpapers to the front and rear, with a pencil note regarding the binding to the front free endpaper. The woodcut title page has been trimmed/damaged to edges, and thus has been laid down with some loss to top fore edge corner and in places encroaching on woodcut decoration. The contents have some heavy browning (quite patchy in places) in varying degrees, in places throughout, mostly to the front of the contents. The first few leaves are brittle, and rather chipped, nicked and frayed to the edges, and one leaf is loose, see images closely. The first leaf of text, and several further leaves have repairs of varying sizes to margins or corners, one of which results in a few lost words of text. 3 leaves are lacking (A1, C3, D1). There are a few scattered ink marks and smudges. A truly remarkable survival as the majority of copies were ordered to be burnt.
Lacking 3 leaves (as stated above), last leaf is blank as per British Library copy. Black letter.
The work is dedication to King Edward VI, (son of Henry VIII).
"John Hooper, Bishop of Gloucester, was perhaps, the first important puritan in England. Born around 1495 in Somerset, England, Hooper (or 'Johan Hoper') was educated at Oxford University and later attended a Cistercian monastery in Gloucester. It was later in his life, after some time in Europe, that he returned to England, now married, in the mid-16th century to lead the charge of Protestantism in England. Here he soon became the Bishop of Gloucester. In this role he was a fervent and popular preacher, committed to educating his congregation in the faith and serving the poor.
However, the political winds were against Hooper: when staunchly Catholic Queen Mary I came to the throne in 1553, the radical, Puritan Protestantism of Hooper made him an obvious target. He was one of the first arrested in the famous attempt of 'Bloody Mary' to reverse the spread of the English Reformation." He was amongst almost 300 people who perished in this way, by order of "Bloody Mary", including Archbishop Cranmer, and Bishops Ridley and Latimer. Many of the books and writings of these men were also ordered to be burned, this book was no exception, thus survivals are rare.
There are a number of charming woodcut decorative letters and tail pieces.
We can find nothing about 'Susan White of Chester' to which the pencil note attributes the carved binding. However it is beautiful and ornate, see images for close detail.
The title page is dated 1550, however the B.L. questions this date, suggesting it might 1560, although, also state that 1560 is "conjecture" on their part. The only other copy we can find for sale states publication date unequivocally as 1550. ESTC S104216.
Incredibly rare, FIRST EDITION of these famous sermons by 'Protestant Martyr', Bishop John Hooper. A true piece of early English book, and religious, history.
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