Charles Woolverton | A rare Quaker tract printed by Franklin

Charles Woolverton

Christ the Eternal Word, the only means of man's salvation. Philadelphia, B. Franklin, 1738

8vo (166 x 100 mm, some leaves uncut, preserving deckle at fore-edge). Typographic ornaments in text; title-page and final leaf lightly soiled, expert restorations to the title and in the margins of the text, one short marginal tear in leaf D2, a vertical split close to the gutter in leaf D3. Full period calf; expertly rebacked, preserving original spine, scuffing and rubbing to boards.

A Quaker tract printed by Benjamin Franklin — only two other copies known.

The imprint states that Franklin printed this tract "for the author," but Miller located an expense voucher from the Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends of Philadelphia recording a payment to Franklin of £4.10.0 for 300 copies, so it evidently was an officially sanctioned Quaker publication. Not much is known about the author, Charles Woolverton, besides the fact that one of the first books Franklin published was a discourse by him (cf. Miller 12), though no copies of that work are known to survive.

Very rare—we locate two copies in institutional collections (University of Pennsylvania and Swarthmore) and, according to Rare Book Hub, none have appeared at auction since 1902.

REFERENCES

Miller 160; ESTC W17623; Evans, 4327; Sabin 105216