1875 – Historical Curiosities | Beautiful Letter Facsimiles & Illustrations – 100 plates!

Historical and Literary Curiosities is a fascinating collection of rare manuscript facsimiles. This book, collected and edited by Charles John Smith, features 100 incredible engraved plates depicting iconic letters, legal texts, homes and architecture, and rare royal relics. Notable topics include: letters from William Penn and Horace Walpole, representations of Charles I’s Bible, signatures of John Dryden and Abraham Coley. It also includes a view of Isaac Newton’s home, as well as the Memento-Mori Watch attributed to Mary Queen of Scots.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Historical and Literary Curiosities: Consisting of Facsimiles of Original Documents
• Contributor(s): Charles John Smith (Editor)
• Publisher: London, Chatto and Windus
• Edition: 1875 edition.
• Binding: Leather spine, marbled boards
• Format: (4to), single volume
• Size:  11.5 in x 9 in (29.2 cm x 22.9 cm)
• Collation: [i]-vii pp; 100 plates with descriptive text
• Illustrations: 100 engraved plates
• Contents Include:
  • View of the residence of Isaac Newton
  • Facsimiles of letters by Abraham Cowley
  • Representations of King Charles I’s Bible
  • Letter from William Penn
  • Letters of Horace Walpole
  • Letters from John Dryden
  • Memento-Mori Watch of Mary Queen of Scots

Condition:

Very Good. Secure leather binding with marbled boards. Moderate edge wear to corners. Text block clean and intact. Plates show minimal toning and are well-preserved.

Why Collect This?

• 100 plates reproducing historical manuscripts and artifacts
• Features a letter from William Penn and items linked to Charles I and Mary Queen of Scots
• Suitable for collectors of political, literary, or documentary facsimiles

Item Number: #29780