Beschreibung:

The Book of Common Prayer, And Administration of the Sacraments, And other Rites and Ceremonies As revised and proposed to the Use of The Protestant Episcopal Church, At a Convention of the said Church in the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina. Held in Philadelphia, from September 27th to October 7th 1785. [Issued with:] Tunes Suited to the Psalms and Hymns of the Book of Common Prayer .
Philadelphia: Hall and Sellers, 1786. Octavo (6x3 ¾ inches, 150x95 mm). 8 pages of engraved tunes in the rear. Contemporary red morocco gilt. Condition: Foxing; upper cover partially detached, backstrip perished, other wear and staining. Provenance : William Dupuy (name in gilt on the upper cover, signature on the front free endpaper and manuscript family register in the rear). scarce first edition of the proposed book of common prayer, preceding the first american book of common prayer of 1790. Following the American Revolution it was deemed expedient to make changes to the Anglican liturgy to adapt it to an American audience. The first convention of the Episcopal Church in America appointed a committee to make those changes, and this Book of Common Prayer resulted. Although 4000 copies were printed, the numerous changes were uniformly rejected, perhaps accounting for the book's rarity. The second title in this work precedes four leaves of engraved tunes, often found lacking but present in this copy. Evans 19940; Griffith 1786.9; Sabin 6349.