RARE VOLUME II OF JOURNALS OF CONGRESS COVERING THE REVOLUTIONARY YEAR OF 1776, ONE OF ONLY 50 COPIES WITH THE DUNLAP YORK-TOWN IMPRINT, ISSUED WHEN THE BRITISH INVASION OF PHILADELPHIA FORCED CONGRESS TO FLEE, WITH ONE OF THE EARLIEST COLLECTED PRINTINGS OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

(AMERICAN REVOLUTION) (CONTINENTAL CONGRESS). Journals of Congress. Containing the Proceedings From January 1, 1776, to January 1, 1777. Published by Order of Congress. York-Town, [Pennsylvania]: John Dunlap, 1778. Octavo, contemporary full speckled brown calf rebacked, later black morocco spine labels.

Important Dunlap edition of Volume II of the Journals of Congress, covering the Revolution's explosive year of 1776, one of only 50 copies with the Dunlap York-Town imprint issued when British troops forced the Second Continental Congress to flee Philadelphia, with a very early collected printing of the Declaration of Independence.

This Volume II of the Journals of Congress stands out as one of "no more than 50 copies" issued with the York-Town imprint of John Dunlap, who earlier printed the original broadside of the Declaration of Independence (Matyas 77-09b). A core volume in the revolutionary Journals of Congress, this helped form "the only central record of the colonies and the subsequent states (Tanenbaum, 12). Featuring one of the earliest collected printings of the Declaration of Independence, its chronicle of the Second Continental Congress from January 1, 1776 to January 1, 1777 charts the course, as few works can, toward the moment when America's Founders declared: "we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

This is the only one of the 13 Journals of Congress not printed in Philadelphia. When, in 1777, the British army under Howe advanced toward Philadelphia, Congress was forced to flee to Lancaster, then York, Pennsylvania—with Dunlap moving his press there as well. Prior to that Aitken had printed 800 copies of Volume II in Philadelphia. Of these, he says: "50 were carried to Lancaster, and committed to the care of Mr. Dunlap," with an estimated 218 copies "lost or embessled [sic]" (Hildeburn 3577). Of those 50 copies it is believed that the Aitken sheets (425-520, i-xxvii) "were damaged or lost in shipment, thus requiring Dunlap to print replacements… the new [Dunlap] and old [Aitken] sheets were bound up to produce no more than 50 copies with Dunlap's York-Town imprint" (Matyas 77-09b). This is one of those rare copies. Title page verso with May 2, 1778 resolution authorizing Dunlap "to continue the said Journals, instead of Robert Aitken." Containing the Declaration of Independence (241-246) in the section of Aitken printing (1-424). Dunlap title page imprint with square brackets; mispagination of 92 (66), Index iv (vi) as issued without loss of text. Any early Journals printed by Aitken and Dulap are especially hard to come by "because not enough copies were printed" (Powell, 72). ESTC W20598. Matyas 77-09b. Hildeburn 3727. Sabin 15547. Evans 16137 (Evans 15684 incorrect duplicate).

Interior generally fresh very little foxing, occasional embrowning, title page with expert archival restoration to gutter edge, trimmed at lower edge minimally affecting imprint. A few pages with expert paper repairs.