USD
GBP
EUR
CAD
AUD
ZAR![Blind Horse Books [ABAA]](https://i0.wp.com/therarebookroom.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Blue-Left.jpg?fit=211%2C202&ssl=1)
Blind Horse Books [ABAA]
Blind Horse Books [ABAA - FABA]
Membership(s): ABAA, ILAB, IOBA, FABA
Perkins, William (1558–1602) ; Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge A Treatise Tending Vnto a Declaration Whether a Man Be in the Estate of Damnation, or in the Estate of Grace ELIZABETHAN THEOLOGY — A 1591 TREATISE ON FAITH, CONSCIENCE, AND GRACE.
$1,800.00
Published in 1591 during William Perkins’s lifetime, this Elizabethan theological treatise represents an important contributions to English Protestant thought. A leading figure of the late sixteenth-century religious landscape, Perkins sought to address one of the central concerns of Reformation spirituality: how a believer might understand their spiritual condition and find assurance of faith.
WILLIAM PERKINS — THEOLOGY MADE PRACTICAL.
Perkins was among the most influential English Protestant theologians of his generation. As a fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge, and a prominent preacher and writer, he became known for presenting complex Reformed theology in practical forms accessible to clergy and lay readers alike.
THE SEARCH FOR SPIRITUAL ASSURANCE.
The enduring importance of ‘A Treatise Tending Vnto a Declaration Whether a Man Be in the Estate of Damnation, or in the Estate of Grace’ lies in its engagement with deeply personal questions of faith, conscience, doubt, and salvation. In an age when questions of election and grace shaped religious life, Perkins offered readers a structured approach to examining their beliefs, actions, and spiritual experience.
Rather than treating theology as abstract doctrine alone, Perkins transformed difficult theological concepts into practical guidance for believers confronting questions of faith, doubt, and assurance.
This copy is further distinguished by manuscript notes preserved on the verso of the original rear endpaper, written in an earlier hand. The notes have not been fully identified or transcribed but provide evidence of historical engagement with Perkins’s text and its continued study by later readers.
KEY FEATURES
+++ Visuals: Features Thomas Orwin’s iconic griffin printer’s mark to the title page, ornate woodcut initial letters, and elaborate typographical head- and tailpieces throughout.
+++ Binding: Full light-brown calf bound in in contemporary 17th-century style, outer and inner panels framed in blind-ruled filleting, spine with five raised bands, gilt-lettered maroon morocco label (‘PERKINS’S TREATISE’), and date ‘1591’ stamped in gilt at the foot.
+++ Content: Contains the full treatise on election and reprobation, including the famous dialogues between ‘Sathan and the Christian’ and pastoral ‘Consolations for the troubled consciences of repentant Sinners.’
+++ Imprint: London: Printed by Thomas Orwin for John Porter and Thomas Gubbin, 1591. A significant Elizabethan imprint published during the lifetime of William Perkins, with early manuscript notes preserved on the original rear endpaper.
+++ Specs: 24mo format (trimmed to 5.5 inches tall).
+++ Reader Annotations: The original rear endpaper has been preserved and retains manuscript notes in ink on the verso, written in an unidentified secretary-style hand.
CONDITION: Very Good. The binding is sound, square, and tight, holding the compact text block firmly. The text block has been carefully trimmed during an earlier rebinding, with no loss of printed text. Internally, the text is generally clean with expected light age-toning and mild evidence of handling consistent with a volume of this period. Complete in all parts but the original endpages.
The preserved original rear flyleaf shows expected light creasing and toning and retains manuscript notes in ink on the verso. The manuscript material remains legible and has not been conclusively identified.
THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE:
ELIZABETHAN ENGLAND — THE MAKING OF A PROTESTANT THEOLOGIAN.
William Perkins was one of the most influential English Protestant theologians of the Elizabethan period. A fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge, and lecturer at Great St. Andrew’s Church, Perkins became known for presenting complex Reformed theology in practical and accessible forms for clergy and lay readers alike.
THE SEARCH FOR SPIRITUAL ASSURANCE.
Central to Perkins’s work was the relationship between faith, conscience, and personal assurance. ‘A Treatise Tending Vnto a Declaration Whether a Man Be in the Estate of Damnation, or in the Estate of Grace’ addresses one of the defining concerns of Reformation spirituality: whether an individual could recognize evidence of grace within themselves and understand their spiritual condition.
FAITH, DOUBT, AND THE LIFE OF CONSCIENCE.
The work reflects the Elizabethan emphasis on self-examination and ‘cases of conscience,’ offering readers a structured approach to questions of doubt, faith, and salvation. Through its practical treatment of spiritual anxiety and assurance, the book became an important example of the pastoral character of English Protestant theology.
A THEOLOGY OF CONSCIENCE.
A Treatise Tending Vnto a Declaration stands as one of Perkins’s most important examinations of the assurance of salvation. Through its discussion of signs of grace, spiritual doubt, and the examination of conscience, the text provides insight into the lived religious experience of sixteenth-century Protestantism.
SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Design & Typography: Demonstrates the sophisticated small-format Elizabethan printing style of Thomas Orwin, utilizing black letter for primary emphasis alongside roman and italic types, designed for intimate, portable devotional carry.
+++ Scholarship & Casuistry: Represents one of the earliest systematic works of Protestant casuistry (cases of conscience), bridging strict Calvinist theology with practical pastoral advice for those suffering spiritual despair.
+++ Historical Influence: Perkins was the most published English author of the late Elizabethan era; his works directly shaped the theological framework of the early New England Puritan ministry, heavily influencing John Cotton, William Ames, and Cotton Mather.
SUBJECTS: William Perkins, Elizabethan Religion, Puritan Theology, Reformation Literature, Early English Printing, History of Reading, Reader Annotations, Predestination
GENRES: Early Printed Books, English Theology, Elizabethan Imprints, Annotated Copies, Religious Ephemera
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES: STC (2nd ed.) 19747 / 19752 series; ESTC S114285 (cf.).
Related products
-
The Tarot of Marsilio: Down Here by Christopher Po
Poncet, Christopher The Tarot of Marsilio Down Here
$1,100.00London: Scarlet Imprint, 2024. First edition. Limited edition of 915 numbered copies, 40 in this Fine Edition format; Hand-bound in full red morocco, custom marbled endpapers, gilt edges, silk ribbon, presented in a cerulean silk covered slipcase edged in red morocco; 13” x 9”; 185 pages with marking ribbon; Beautifully illustrated in color. Fine condition. Down Here is the first of a meticulously researched and lavishly illustrated three-volume work, The Tarot of Marsilio by Christophe Poncet; a landmark inquiry into the origins of the Tarot de Marseille. Against the prevalent view in the academy — that the tarot was never used, before the 18th century, for anything other than card games — Poncet argues that the Tarot de Marseille is a work of esoteric philosophy hidden in plain sight.
Offered for Sale by: By The Way Books -
Of Cosmogonic Eros by Ludwig Klages — DeLuxe Auric
Klages, Ludwig Of Cosmogonic Eros
$900.00Munich: Theion Publishing, 2019. First edition. DeLuxe Auric Edition, one of 54 numbered copies with exclusive David Beth piece written to accompany the volume and bound in wrappers, signed, and laid in the rear of the volume; Hand-bound in full antique Bordeaux leather, with raised bands, embossed front and rear panels, ribbon marker, custom endpapers and in a slipcase; 269 pages. Fine condition; A bit of rubbing to the slipcase.
Offered for Sale by: By The Way Books -
Bayntun-Rivière full morocco gilt binding
Quiller-Couch, Arthur The Oxford Book of English Verse 1250-1900
$350.00Clarendon Press, 1930. India Paper Edition, small 8vo (4.5″ X 6.5″). Later impression, first published in 1900. Beautifully bound by Bayntun-Rivière of Bath in full blue morocco, front cover tooled in gilt with an ogival lattice of curved fillets, gilt dots at the intersections, each compartment centered with a Tudor rose tool, within a border of gilt arcs; rear cover plain. Spine in six compartments between five raised bands, lettered in gilt direct in the second, the others centered with a Tudor rose tool. Wide turn-ins ruled in gilt with rose tools at the outer corners, combed marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Signed by the binders in gilt on the front turn-in. Gilt on side of text block slightly scratched, else a fine copy indeed.
Offered for Sale by: The Accidental Bookseller -
CALIFORNIA BEFORE THE LEGEND
Buffum, E. Gould (1820–1867); Caughey, John W., editor Six Months in the Gold Mines: From a Journal of Three Years’ Residence in Upper and Lower California 1847-48-49 [Fine Binding by Anson Herrick] A FOUNDATIONAL EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH, IN FINE-BINDING BY ANSON HERRICK.
$325.00A handsome modern edition of one of the important firsthand narratives of the California Gold Rush, here distinguished by a custom binding by Anson Herrick.AN EYEWITNESS TO THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.E. Gould Buffum arrived in California as an officer with the New York Volunteers during the Mexican-American War and remained to become a miner and journalist. His account records California immediately before and during the transformation brought about by the discovery of gold.Buffum describes prospecting along the Bear and Yuba Rivers, Weber Creek, the American River and other early mining districts, together with camp life, mining methods, violence, prices, travel, and the extraordinary growth of San Francisco. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: BOUND BY ANSON HERRICK.+++ Finely bound by Anson Herrick in red crushed morocco with contrasting black morocco central onlayto the front board, lettered in gilt with the title and an abbreviated form of Buffum’s original subtitle. +++ Boards framed with multiple gilt rules and ornamental corner devices.+++ Rounded spine with raised bands, gilt rules and repeated gilt ornaments. Top edge gilt. Inner panels and gilt dentelles; marbled endpapers.+++ The black diamond-shaped title panel centered against the red morocco creates a strong visual treatment reminiscent of a nineteenth-century label or sign.+++ Title page printed with decorative display type. +++ Octavo, approximately 8 by 6 inches CONDITION: NEAR FINE. Faint sunning and occasional light wear to the binding. Spine shows mild toning and rubbing, with a small split or abrasion visible near the lower portion of the spine. Gilt remains bright and the decorative front board presents well. Interior appears clean and well preserved.HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: AN EARLY AUTHORITY ON GOLD RUSH CALIFORNIA.First published in Philadelphia by Lea and Blanchard in 1850, Buffum’s narrative belongs to the earliest substantial firsthand accounts of the California Gold Rush. FROM SOLDIER TO GOLD SEEKER:Buffum’s perspective is particularly valuable because he witnessed California on both sides of the great divide. He arrived during the Mexican-American War, served in the American military occupation, left the army at Monterey, entered the gold fields, and subsequently worked as a journalist in San Francisco. His narrative therefore encompasses both the discovery period and the rapid social and economic changes that followed. A FOUNDATIONAL CALIFORNIA NARRATIVE:Early bibliographer Robert Ernest Cowan described Buffum’s book as one of the principal sources of authority for the history of the period, reflecting its longstanding importance in the literature of early California. Modern historical studies likewise identify it among the first and most important published chronicles of the California Gold Rush. SUBJECTS: California Gold Rush, E. Gould Buffum, Anson Herrick, Ward Ritchie Press, John W. Caughey, California, Forty-Niners, Gold Mining, San Francisco, Sacramento River, Sierra Nevada, American River, Yuba River, Mexican-American War, Western Expansion, Bookbinding, Fine Bindings, Western Americana, Fine Bindings, California History, Gold Rush Narratives, First-Person Narratives, Travel and Exploration, Fine Press. BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: For original 1850 text: Cowan p. 83; Howes B-943; Kurutz 97a; Wheat Gold Rush 28; Graff 472.
Offered for Sale by: Blind Horse Books [ABAA]
