1687 – Whole Duty of Man – Allestree | Anglican, Restoration Devotional | Folio

The Whole Duty of Man is a Protestant devotional work written by Richard Allestree who prescribes various devotional exercises for a healthy Christian life. According to Bickersteth,

“‘The Whole Duty of Man’ was a practical book to counteract the Antinomians and contains an impressive introduction on the care of the soul, the devotional part is full and useful, and it has a good statement of relative duties, but it does not exhibit prominently the only principles and strength on which man can perform them.” (Lowndes 1229)

This 1687 Oxford folio includes other works attributed to Allestree and others including: The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety, The Ladies Calling, The Government of the Tongue, The Art of Contentment, and The Lively Oracles Given to Us. These works occupied a central place in Anglican devotional literature during the seventeenth century and circulated widely among readers seeking guidance on Christian conduct, personal discipline, and religious practice

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The works of the learned and pious author of The whole duty of man
• Author(s): Richard Allestree
• Contributor(s): Richard Sterne (Attributed); Lady Dorothy Pakington (Attributed)
• Publisher: Theater in Oxford, London, Roger Norton for George Pawlett
• Edition: Second impression, 1687.
• Binding: Full leather
• Format: Folio, single volume
• Size:  15.5 in x 10 in (39 cm x 25 cm)
• Collation: 2 parts in 1; 456 pp; 322 pp
• Contents Include:
  • The Whole Duty of Man
  • The Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety
  • The Ladies Calling
  • The Government of the Tongue
  • The Art of Contentment
  • The Lively Oracles Given to Us
• Reference(s): Lowndes 1229

Condition:

Very Good. Full leather binding remains tight and secure. Hinges show no pulling. Corners are lightly rubbed. Covers show moderate age-related wear. Pages remain legible throughout with no major losses noted.

Why Collect This?

• Enormous 17^th-century folio collection of major Anglican devotional works
• Contains The Whole Duty of Man and five related texts

Item Number: # 50517