Books and Manuscripts

A Rare and Important Early Description of Pennsylvania and New Jersey 

Thomas, Gabriel
An Historical and Geographical Account of the Province and Country of Pensilvania; and of West-New-Jersey in America...
London: Printed for, and Sold by A. Baldwin, 1698. Two parts in one volume. First edition. Small 8vo. (viii), 55, (1); (xii), 34 pp. From the library of the Earls of Macclesfield, Shirburn Castle, and with their armorial book-plate (dated 1860) on front paste-down and blindstamp on map and following three leaves at front. Illustrated with an engraved folding frontispiece map of Pennsylvania and West New Jersey, by Philip Lea. Contemporary speckled brown paneled sheep, stamped in blind, old paper labels on spine with manuscript title, small scattered wear to spine, expert repairs to same; red speckled edges; foxing and offsetting to text; in full black morocco solander box and chemise. Howes T-167 ("dd"); Church 778; Felcone 264; Sabin 95395; Burden 728; Vail 280; Bradford 5387; Pilling 3847; Streeter 946; Myers, Narratives of Early Pennsylvania, West New Jersey and Delaware, 1630-1707 (Vol. 12, pp. 311-312); Smith, Friends' Books, Vol. II, p. 733

A foundational depiction of America: a very rare first edition of Gabriel Thomas's early pamphlet promoting settlement in the colonies of Pennsylvania and West New Jersey.

In 1681, Thomas (1661-1714) was among the first group of settlers in William Penn's “holy experiment” in the New World, traveling there on the Ship John and Sarah. He remained for 15 years, during which time he gathered the observations that make up this book. With this publication Thomas sought to encourage settlement in the new colonies by depicting the Mid-Atlantic region as free from the poverty and destitution faced by the lower classes in England and elsewhere, describing it as a place where "Ample and Happy livelihoods People may gain”. In pursuit of this, this highly detailed account covers a plethora of information on Pennsylvania and New Jersey, including descriptions of its towns, animal life, flora and fauna, climate, natural resources, and notably, descriptions of its Native American communities and their languages.

Divided into two parts, each covering one colony, the first concerns Pennsylvania and is dedicated to “Friend William Penn”. Here, Thomas gives one of the earliest descriptions of Philadelphia, which he describes as the “Noble and Beautiful City” containing “above two thousand Houses, all Inhabited”, and then details its main thoroughfares, markets, squares, climate, and the professions of its inhabitants. The second part covers West New Jersey, where Thomas provides a brief overview of its settlement by the Dutch and Swedish, as well as descriptions of its natural resources, noting the prosperous business of whaling off the colony's coast near Cape May. Notably, Thomas describes the region's native tribes, praising their language as “Lofty and Elegant…Sweet, of Noble Sound and Accent," and proceeds into detailed descriptions of their customs, dress, and communal structures.

The volume is illustrated with an important frontispiece map--only the second detailed depiction of the region--which was compiled by London mapmaker Philip Lea.

Rare, according to RBH this is only the fourth copy offered at auction since 2000.