![ebc8693[WEB1].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fd894e5323b835b65867f87/906ebef7-6f6d-45e1-a20c-0e87d5bf166b/ebc8693%5BWEB1%5D.jpg)
![ebc8693[WEB2].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fd894e5323b835b65867f87/30742f33-3cc1-4cc8-9ae1-9d90581436e8/ebc8693%5BWEB2%5D.jpg)
![ebc8693[WEB3].jpg](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fd894e5323b835b65867f87/9cfcf526-bce5-4162-9cae-0dd3949aa1da/ebc8693%5BWEB3%5D.jpg)
The Rights of Great Britain Asserted Against the Claims of America Being an Answer to the Declaration of the General Congress. [MACPHERSON (James)]
THE GIFT OF OBADIAH RICH TO HARVARD COLLEGE
Folding table (repair to short tear at inner margin).
First American Edition. 8vo. [203 x 125 x 11 mm]. 92, [4] pp. Bound in later grey cloth, stamp of Harvard University Library in gilt on lower left front board, black roan label lettered in gilt. (Label worn).
London, Printed: Philadelphia Re-printed, and Sold by R. Bell, in Third-Street, 1776
Minor damp stain at head, most noticeably on half title and title page, half title reinforced at inner margin, otherwise a good clean copy. Harvard College bookplate on front pastedown with the inscription: "May 1, 1845, Gift of O. Rich". Harvard College Library stamp located on the verso of the title page, signed Harvard College Library release stamp located on the bookplate.
A highly influential and widely circulated political pamphlet written and dispensed at the expense of the British Government in response to the 'Declaration by the Representatives of the United Colonies of North America.. Setting Forth the Causes and Necessity of their Taking Up Arms', which has been included at the start of the pamphlet.
First published in London in December 1775, it was reissued in twenty editions over the next year in Great Britain, Ireland, France and America. This first American edition was printed in Philadelphia by Robert Bell who is renowned for also printing Thomas Paine's Common Sense earlier the same year. Aware of the contradicting nature of these two political tracts and perhaps fearful of objection to its publication, Bell adds a postscript found only in this American edition. Within this short four page extract titled: "A few more words on the Freedom of the Press, addressed by the printer, to the friends of Liberty in America", Bell argues that it is "indispensibly his duty to support the freedom of the press, in which all the lovers of genuine liberty are deeply interested" and advocates for all viewpoints to be acknowledged less they become "like the foolish people of Britain, who commit suicide on their own liberties, and thus, entail upon themselves, the scorn and contempt of all true and consistent friends to real liberty".
Authorship is unclear, within this edition it states that it is 'said to be written by Lord George Germaine', however there is little evidence to support this suggestion. Other authors to have been credited include Sir John Dalrymple and Henry Mackenzie, however Adams settles upon James Macpherson as the most likely author as he was employed by Lord North to defend his governmental policies.
The pamphlet emphatically sets forth Great Britain's position on the Thirteen Colonies' complaints in which it claims that "the facts are either wilfully or ignorantly misrepresented and the arguments deduced from premises that have no foundation in truth". With the intention of rousing the British population against the American cause it became one of the most widely circulated pamphlets on the British side of the debate. William Reese included this pamphlet in The Revolutionary Hundred, being a guide to the most significant printed works on the era of the American Revolution (Item no.37).
This copy was gifted to Harvard College by Obadiah Rich in 1845. Obadiah Rich (1783-1850) was an American diplomat and and renowned bibliophile. Born in Truro, Massachusetts, Rich's family moved to the Boston area in 1789 where he developed an interest in antiquarian materials, joining the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1805, the Boston Athenaeum in 1807 and eventually becoming a member of the American Antiquarian Society.
Rich embarked on his diplomatic career in 1816, taking up the position as US Consul in Valencia, Spain. While in Valencia, Rich began collecting rare books and manuscripts. In 1823 he moved to Madrid where he took charge of the US legation's archives during the Second French invasion. Due to social and economic disruptions arising as a result of the Peninsula Wars and Liberal Uprising of 1820, a number of private and ecclesiastical libraries were offered for sale which Rich began purchasing and adding to his increasing impressive collection. Washington Irving, who resided in Rich's home in 1826, described his library as a "literary wilderness abounding with curious works and rare editions" (Justin Winsor, Narrative and Critical History of America, 1889).
By 1819 Rich had begun reselling some of his manuscripts and printed materials to American collectors. During this period the export of books from Spain was heavily regulated, however, Rich's diplomatic position aided him in resolving difficulties that arose with customs. In 1828 Rich moved to London, where he wrote and published A General View of the United States (1833), a gazetteer, and opened a shop to sell American books and periodicals that were not then readily available in England.
Rich continued dealing in rare books and manuscripts, which he advertised through a series of descriptive catalogues. The bulk of Rich's collection of manuscripts was purchased by James Lenox in 1848 and now constitute the Obadiah Rich collection at New York Public Library. Other materials collected by Rich were acquired by the John Carter Brown Library, the Library of Congress, the British Library and the Boston Athenaeum Library.
Today Obadiah Rich is primarily known as a bibliographer, however Nicholas Trubner in the Biographical Guide to American Literature (1859), records that; "Mr Rich belongs the merit of having awakened the attention of other European booksellers to the importance of the subject of the earlier American history, beyond the limits of the American continent". As a result, Obadiah Rich is commonly credited with making the field of Americana a recognised branch of scholarship.
This copy has been in a private collection since 1966.
Stock no. ebc8693
THE GIFT OF OBADIAH RICH TO HARVARD COLLEGE
Folding table (repair to short tear at inner margin).
First American Edition. 8vo. [203 x 125 x 11 mm]. 92, [4] pp. Bound in later grey cloth, stamp of Harvard University Library in gilt on lower left front board, black roan label lettered in gilt. (Label worn).
London, Printed: Philadelphia Re-printed, and Sold by R. Bell, in Third-Street, 1776
Minor damp stain at head, most noticeably on half title and title page, half title reinforced at inner margin, otherwise a good clean copy. Harvard College bookplate on front pastedown with the inscription: "May 1, 1845, Gift of O. Rich". Harvard College Library stamp located on the verso of the title page, signed Harvard College Library release stamp located on the bookplate.
A highly influential and widely circulated political pamphlet written and dispensed at the expense of the British Government in response to the 'Declaration by the Representatives of the United Colonies of North America.. Setting Forth the Causes and Necessity of their Taking Up Arms', which has been included at the start of the pamphlet.
First published in London in December 1775, it was reissued in twenty editions over the next year in Great Britain, Ireland, France and America. This first American edition was printed in Philadelphia by Robert Bell who is renowned for also printing Thomas Paine's Common Sense earlier the same year. Aware of the contradicting nature of these two political tracts and perhaps fearful of objection to its publication, Bell adds a postscript found only in this American edition. Within this short four page extract titled: "A few more words on the Freedom of the Press, addressed by the printer, to the friends of Liberty in America", Bell argues that it is "indispensibly his duty to support the freedom of the press, in which all the lovers of genuine liberty are deeply interested" and advocates for all viewpoints to be acknowledged less they become "like the foolish people of Britain, who commit suicide on their own liberties, and thus, entail upon themselves, the scorn and contempt of all true and consistent friends to real liberty".
Authorship is unclear, within this edition it states that it is 'said to be written by Lord George Germaine', however there is little evidence to support this suggestion. Other authors to have been credited include Sir John Dalrymple and Henry Mackenzie, however Adams settles upon James Macpherson as the most likely author as he was employed by Lord North to defend his governmental policies.
The pamphlet emphatically sets forth Great Britain's position on the Thirteen Colonies' complaints in which it claims that "the facts are either wilfully or ignorantly misrepresented and the arguments deduced from premises that have no foundation in truth". With the intention of rousing the British population against the American cause it became one of the most widely circulated pamphlets on the British side of the debate. William Reese included this pamphlet in The Revolutionary Hundred, being a guide to the most significant printed works on the era of the American Revolution (Item no.37).
This copy was gifted to Harvard College by Obadiah Rich in 1845. Obadiah Rich (1783-1850) was an American diplomat and and renowned bibliophile. Born in Truro, Massachusetts, Rich's family moved to the Boston area in 1789 where he developed an interest in antiquarian materials, joining the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1805, the Boston Athenaeum in 1807 and eventually becoming a member of the American Antiquarian Society.
Rich embarked on his diplomatic career in 1816, taking up the position as US Consul in Valencia, Spain. While in Valencia, Rich began collecting rare books and manuscripts. In 1823 he moved to Madrid where he took charge of the US legation's archives during the Second French invasion. Due to social and economic disruptions arising as a result of the Peninsula Wars and Liberal Uprising of 1820, a number of private and ecclesiastical libraries were offered for sale which Rich began purchasing and adding to his increasing impressive collection. Washington Irving, who resided in Rich's home in 1826, described his library as a "literary wilderness abounding with curious works and rare editions" (Justin Winsor, Narrative and Critical History of America, 1889).
By 1819 Rich had begun reselling some of his manuscripts and printed materials to American collectors. During this period the export of books from Spain was heavily regulated, however, Rich's diplomatic position aided him in resolving difficulties that arose with customs. In 1828 Rich moved to London, where he wrote and published A General View of the United States (1833), a gazetteer, and opened a shop to sell American books and periodicals that were not then readily available in England.
Rich continued dealing in rare books and manuscripts, which he advertised through a series of descriptive catalogues. The bulk of Rich's collection of manuscripts was purchased by James Lenox in 1848 and now constitute the Obadiah Rich collection at New York Public Library. Other materials collected by Rich were acquired by the John Carter Brown Library, the Library of Congress, the British Library and the Boston Athenaeum Library.
Today Obadiah Rich is primarily known as a bibliographer, however Nicholas Trubner in the Biographical Guide to American Literature (1859), records that; "Mr Rich belongs the merit of having awakened the attention of other European booksellers to the importance of the subject of the earlier American history, beyond the limits of the American continent". As a result, Obadiah Rich is commonly credited with making the field of Americana a recognised branch of scholarship.
This copy has been in a private collection since 1966.
Stock no. ebc8693
THE GIFT OF OBADIAH RICH TO HARVARD COLLEGE
Folding table (repair to short tear at inner margin).
First American Edition. 8vo. [203 x 125 x 11 mm]. 92, [4] pp. Bound in later grey cloth, stamp of Harvard University Library in gilt on lower left front board, black roan label lettered in gilt. (Label worn).
London, Printed: Philadelphia Re-printed, and Sold by R. Bell, in Third-Street, 1776
Minor damp stain at head, most noticeably on half title and title page, half title reinforced at inner margin, otherwise a good clean copy. Harvard College bookplate on front pastedown with the inscription: "May 1, 1845, Gift of O. Rich". Harvard College Library stamp located on the verso of the title page, signed Harvard College Library release stamp located on the bookplate.
A highly influential and widely circulated political pamphlet written and dispensed at the expense of the British Government in response to the 'Declaration by the Representatives of the United Colonies of North America.. Setting Forth the Causes and Necessity of their Taking Up Arms', which has been included at the start of the pamphlet.
First published in London in December 1775, it was reissued in twenty editions over the next year in Great Britain, Ireland, France and America. This first American edition was printed in Philadelphia by Robert Bell who is renowned for also printing Thomas Paine's Common Sense earlier the same year. Aware of the contradicting nature of these two political tracts and perhaps fearful of objection to its publication, Bell adds a postscript found only in this American edition. Within this short four page extract titled: "A few more words on the Freedom of the Press, addressed by the printer, to the friends of Liberty in America", Bell argues that it is "indispensibly his duty to support the freedom of the press, in which all the lovers of genuine liberty are deeply interested" and advocates for all viewpoints to be acknowledged less they become "like the foolish people of Britain, who commit suicide on their own liberties, and thus, entail upon themselves, the scorn and contempt of all true and consistent friends to real liberty".
Authorship is unclear, within this edition it states that it is 'said to be written by Lord George Germaine', however there is little evidence to support this suggestion. Other authors to have been credited include Sir John Dalrymple and Henry Mackenzie, however Adams settles upon James Macpherson as the most likely author as he was employed by Lord North to defend his governmental policies.
The pamphlet emphatically sets forth Great Britain's position on the Thirteen Colonies' complaints in which it claims that "the facts are either wilfully or ignorantly misrepresented and the arguments deduced from premises that have no foundation in truth". With the intention of rousing the British population against the American cause it became one of the most widely circulated pamphlets on the British side of the debate. William Reese included this pamphlet in The Revolutionary Hundred, being a guide to the most significant printed works on the era of the American Revolution (Item no.37).
This copy was gifted to Harvard College by Obadiah Rich in 1845. Obadiah Rich (1783-1850) was an American diplomat and and renowned bibliophile. Born in Truro, Massachusetts, Rich's family moved to the Boston area in 1789 where he developed an interest in antiquarian materials, joining the Massachusetts Historical Society in 1805, the Boston Athenaeum in 1807 and eventually becoming a member of the American Antiquarian Society.
Rich embarked on his diplomatic career in 1816, taking up the position as US Consul in Valencia, Spain. While in Valencia, Rich began collecting rare books and manuscripts. In 1823 he moved to Madrid where he took charge of the US legation's archives during the Second French invasion. Due to social and economic disruptions arising as a result of the Peninsula Wars and Liberal Uprising of 1820, a number of private and ecclesiastical libraries were offered for sale which Rich began purchasing and adding to his increasing impressive collection. Washington Irving, who resided in Rich's home in 1826, described his library as a "literary wilderness abounding with curious works and rare editions" (Justin Winsor, Narrative and Critical History of America, 1889).
By 1819 Rich had begun reselling some of his manuscripts and printed materials to American collectors. During this period the export of books from Spain was heavily regulated, however, Rich's diplomatic position aided him in resolving difficulties that arose with customs. In 1828 Rich moved to London, where he wrote and published A General View of the United States (1833), a gazetteer, and opened a shop to sell American books and periodicals that were not then readily available in England.
Rich continued dealing in rare books and manuscripts, which he advertised through a series of descriptive catalogues. The bulk of Rich's collection of manuscripts was purchased by James Lenox in 1848 and now constitute the Obadiah Rich collection at New York Public Library. Other materials collected by Rich were acquired by the John Carter Brown Library, the Library of Congress, the British Library and the Boston Athenaeum Library.
Today Obadiah Rich is primarily known as a bibliographer, however Nicholas Trubner in the Biographical Guide to American Literature (1859), records that; "Mr Rich belongs the merit of having awakened the attention of other European booksellers to the importance of the subject of the earlier American history, beyond the limits of the American continent". As a result, Obadiah Rich is commonly credited with making the field of Americana a recognised branch of scholarship.
This copy has been in a private collection since 1966.
Stock no. ebc8693