History - 81 - Bauman Rare Books “The Lasting Memorial Of Old St Paul’s”: Exceedingly Rare 1658 Folio First Edition Of Dugdale’s History Of St. Paul’s Cathedral, With 44 Folio Engravings 78. DUGDALE, William. The History of St. Pauls Cathedral in London. London, 1658. Folio (9-1/2 by 14 inches), 20th-century three-quarter crushed brown morocco. $9500. First edition of Dugdale’s history of St. Paul’s Cathedral, with engraved frontispiece portrait and 43 folio copper engravings by Wenceslas Hollar, 11 double-page. “With the destruction of the cathedral in the Great Fire of 1666 Dugdale’s book became the lasting memorial of old St Paul’s” (ODNB)— this edition “is particularly cherished because it contains the finest impressions of Hollar’s plates and is the only edition to contain them all” (Pforzheimer). A splendid wide-margined folio volume, handsomely bound in crushed morocco and marbled boards. Sir William Dugdale’s “love of antiquarian research” and scrupulous reliance on primary materials helped preserve countless historical sources and resulted in his recognition as a founder of modern historiography. “An acquaintance drew Dugdale’s attention to a collection of records relating to St Paul’s Cathedral. Following this trail he was led to Scriveners’ Hall, where he was lent ‘ten porters’ burthens’ of charters and rolls and other manuscripts ‘in bags and hampers’—unsorted like many legal and state documents at that time, and in mouldering neglect. With the spectacle close at hand of the great church slowly deteriorating from years of maltreatment and sacrilegious use, Dugdale rapidly compiled The History of St. Paul’s Cathedral, which was published in 1658. Not only did this book print the surviving documentary records of the cathedral, it also preserved the appearance of the building. Its Norman and Gothic details and the alterations made by Inigo Jones in the 1630s were recorded in extensive plates, once again prepared by Hollar, several of them based on drawings made by William Sedgwick in 1641. ESTC R14613. Wing 24832. Title page with owner signature of “John Hacket.” Owner signature of Harriet J. Roundell of Gledstone, dated “1886.” Armorial bookplate of Richard Foulis Roundell, who served as an officer in the Northumberland Fusiliers. Bookplate of “Sidney R.S. Barnes,” and an early bookplate with motto “Fides Sufficiit” (faith is sufficient). Occasional early annotations. Interior fresh with a few tiny open tears minimally affecting text and images; marginal soiling to preliminary blank with early paper repair, corner edge-wear to one leaf. A handsomely bound copy of this exceptional first edition.
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