The Book of Common Prayer, and Asministration of the Sacraments, [etc] Royal 8vo, 272 leaves, Cambridge, Printed by John Baskerville, Printer to the University and by B.Dod, London, 1761.
Type: English and small Pica. Two columns. Printed on two sorts of laid paper with decorative borders. Contemporary red straight-grained morocco, gilded with urns, floral chains, starbursts with festoons and spine titling, gold edges and marbled endpapers. A very good to fine copy.
Second edition, with the price marked as 8s 6d. and the "lozenge and star" border on the title-page.
(Townsend and Currier) '...Baskerville printed his Book of Common Prayer under the auspices of Cambridge University. He planned two editions, one to be printed in the customary long lines, the other in double columns; and he printed both editions with and without ornamental borders. The first copies were issued in 1760, but on October 25th of that year occurred the death of King George II. This necessitated a change in the Prayers for the Royal Family, and the leavves containing these prayers were cancelled and new ones printed. Also, the price of the volume was twice increased, and since the original price of 6s 6d was given on the title-page, new title-pages were printed and old ones cancelled. As a result of these changes, there were issued a confusing number of combinations of cancelled and uncancelled leaves, and old and new title-pages in copies with single or double columns, with or without borders. We have distinguished sixteen differe editions, issues or variants ...'
Poor John Baskerville!
