BUNYAN, John (1628-1688). The Pilgrim's Progress. Boston, N.E.: John Draper for Thomas Fleet, 1744.

Second part only (of 2, see below), 12mo (150 x 88 mm). 3 woodcuts (of 4, lacking frontispiece). (A few tears crossing woodcuts or text, staining.) Stab-sewn retaining original lower marbled wrapper and portion of spine only, manuscript paper label on spine. Provenance: Patty Upham (signature on rear flyleaf).

FIRST AMERICAN EDITION OF THE SECOND PART of Pilgrim's Progress, the third extant American edition of any part of the work, preceded by an unillustrated Boston edition of 1681, and an illustrated edition of the first part published in Boston in 1738 (see Evans 4228). "There is no way to determine if theses crude [wood]cuts were executed in England or America" (Smith, Illustrations of American Editions of 'The Pilgrim's Progress' to 1870, p.17). In his introduction to the first English edition of the second part, Bunyan notes: "'Tis in New-England under such advance Receives there so much loving countenance. The remarkable advance in the value of early editions of the Pilgrim's Progress, within the last few years, and the difficulty of obtaining copies of editions before at least the tenth, attest the permanency of the famous allegory as a world-classic, and of no other classic can it be said that but one copy is known of the first edition." Evans 5351 (recording the Thomas Fleet imprint); See Sabin 62847.

VERY RARE: According to online records, no copy of this edition has sold at auction since 1916. OCLC locates only 7 copies of this edition (most with a variant imprint not recorded by Evans recording that the work was printed for Charles Harrison).

Property from the Collection of Mr. Felix Brejente, Schaumburg, Illinois

BUNYAN, John (1628-1688). The Pilgrim's Progress. Boston, N.E.: John Draper for Thomas Fleet, 1744.