Description
Featuring a fore-edge painting of John Bunyan and his hometown of Bedford, a finely bound copy of The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.
Octavo, xcii, [8], 440pp. Full purple morocco, embellishments stamped in blind to covers. Five raised bands, title in gilt on spine. All edges gilt. No additional printings listed.Solid text block, light rubbing to head and tail of spine. A near fine example. Previous gift inscription to front free endpaper.
Fore-edge painting split into three sections: a slightly faded portrait of Bunyan on the left, the jail on the bridge at Bedford on top, and the Old Swan Inn at Bedford on the bottom. Bunyan was raised in Elstow, a village near Bedford, and joined the Bedford Meeting as an adult. This nonconformist group consistently caught the attention of the state Church of England, resulting in multiple imprisonments for Bunyan.
