The Belton House-Wrest Park Copy. Sprat (Thomas), The Histor...

Hammer

£600

The Belton House-Wrest Park Copy. Sprat (Thomas), The History of the Royal-Society of London, For the Improving of Natural Knowledge, first edition, first issue, London: Printed for T.R. for J. Martyn at the Bell without Temple-bar, and J. Allestry at the Rose and Crown in Duck-lane, Printers to the Royal Society, 1667, historiated and foliated initials, lacks frontispiece (as often), otherwise complete, signatures collating: A-B⁴, A-Z⁴, Aa-Zz⁴, Aaa-Iii⁴, engraved arms on verso of initial license leaf, 2 folding engraved plates as called for, verso blank inscribed with a partial-index in contemporary 17th century ink MS, the passages in question within the text thus underlined, signature Mm lower-margin with a stable tear just touching text, otherwise generally a fresh, clean copy with some minimal marginal foxing, contemporary polished calf some splits, bumps, and abrasions, but good, blind-ruled covers, five-compartment spine tooled in gilt and divided by raised bands, gilt-lettered morocco label in the second compartment, marbled edges, 4to, [Wing S5032; Keynes, Evelyn 178; Hooke 28; Norman 1989].

Provenance: 1) John Brownlow, 1st Viscount Tyrconnel, KB (1690-1754), of Belton House, near Grantham, Lincolnshire; his armorial bookplate to recto pastedown, the Belton library's ink MS numbering: B: i668. 2) Thomas de Grey, 2nd Earl de Grey, KG, PC, FRS (1781-1859); his Wrest Park bookplate to verso pastedown. 3) Sir Alan Lubbock (1897-1990), his armorial bookplate to recto pastedown.