Browse Similar Items
GOD'S PROTECTING PROVIDENCE, MAN'S SUREST HELP AND DEFENCE IN TIMES OF GREATEST DIFFICULTY AND MOST IMMINENT DANGER.
(London: James Phillips, 1790). 172 x 100 mm. (6 3/4 x 4"). 136 pp. Seventh Edition.
Tasteful deep blue morocco by Bayntun (stamp-signed on front turn-in), the covers double ruled in gilt, the spine with raised bands, gilt in double-ruled compartments with annular cornerpieces and gilt lettering, wide leather turn-ins with fleuron cornerpieces, all edges gilt. Verso of title page with early ink owner's inscription of Mary Langstaff; ink marginalia to the final page. Sabin, 200015; Ayer, 70. Very probably washed, but still quite fresh. A lovely copy inside and out.
This is a finely bound copy of one of Colonial America's most important captivity narratives. Jonathan Dickenson (also Dickinson, 1663-1722), was an Anglo-American Quaker merchant who eventually became mayor of Philadelphia. On his first voyage to Philadelphia from his prior home of Jamaica, he and his party were shipwrecked off the coast of Florida, on what is now Jupiter Island. The group, which included his family, the Quaker missionary Robert Barrow, and a group of enslaved Africans, was taken captive by the local Jobé (or Jaega) people following the wreck. Also known as "Jonathan Dickinson’s Journal," this is his firsthand account of this captivity and the party's subsequent harrowing journey north to St. Augustine. Originally published in 1699, "God's Protecting Providence" was a bestseller in its own time, used by its Quaker publishers as a conversion tool, and eagerly received by British audiences as a sensational account of the apparent savagery of the native Floridians. Historian Jason Daniels notes that this sensationalism was clearly an intentional choice on the part of the publishers, as demonstrated by the differences in language between the printed version of the treatment received by the party and the (kinder) portrayal in the original manuscript. Despite its biases, this text is incredibly valuable to historians, particularly because it is a rare record of direct interactions between Europeans and the indigenous population of this area. It provides exceptional insights into the motivations and practical actions of these native groups, as they adjusted to a swiftly changing world and managed contact with multiple European groups entering their territory. This copy is housed in a very pleasant Bayntun binding, and compares quite favorably with other copies of this important work to come to market in recent years. (ST19567-121)
Price: $2,500.00