1780 1st Edition With Provenance
A NEW UNIVERSAL HISTORY OF THE RELIGIOUS RITES
and Ceremonies and Customs of the Whole World
Or a complete and impartial view of all the religions in the various nations of the universe; both antient and modern, from the creation down to the present time.
By William Hurd D.D.
Author Bio: William Hurd, D.D. is the name credited on the title pages of A New Universal History of the Religious Rites, Ceremonies, and Customs of the Whole World (issued in parts and published in book form from around 1780, with later reprints such as 1799). The work is essentially a large English compilation/rewriting in the tradition of Bernard Picart’s illustrated surveys of world religions and ceremonies (hence the many folio copper plates).
Beyond that credit line (“D.D.”), reliable biographical details about a distinct 18th-century “William Hurd” associated with this book are surprisingly scarce in common reference sources.
Illustrated By: Various
Illustrator Bio:
Provenance: Early ownership inscription (twice, first blank page and title page): “William Massey, 1781”; bookplate removed from front pastedown.
Synopsis: A monumental late-eighteenth-century folio survey of global religious practice — rites, ceremonies, festivals, sacred architecture, clerical dress, and “curious customs” — designed as a compendious family library of comparative religion. The work is richly embellished with a complete suite of large folio copper-engraved plates depicting ceremonies and devotional life across cultures, accompanied by extensive letterpress text.
Synopsis: Author / work context:
Issued in 60 parts and later bound as a single imposing folio volume, this is one of the grand illustrated “universal histories” of the period: part ethnography, part encyclopaedia, and part devotional compendium, mapping Christian denominations alongside non-European and pre-Christian rites as understood by an eighteenth-century English readership.
Synopsis:
A striking visual and textual panorama of world religion at the cusp of modern comparative study. The engravings are the star — bold, theatrical scenes of worship, procession, sacrifice, initiation, and sacred costume — while the text offers an expansive (and period-typical) attempt to systematise belief and ritual across nations and eras.
Format: Hardcover, folio (fo 12 × 19 in 305 × 483 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Language: English
Published By: Alexander Hogg, London
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Good - Full calf folio; both boards present but detached. Text block firm and clean. Complete as collated (including full plate suite, explanation leaf, and subscribers list). A handsome, scarce folio with stunning, bold engravings throughout.
Plates credited on the title-page to Messrs. Walker, Collyer, Taylor &c.
Collation:
iv, [2], [5]–1704 [i.e. 704], xii, [4] pp; [61] leaves of plates. Complete: engraved frontispiece + 60 full-page copper plates (61 engraved leaves total); with “Explanation of the Frontispiece” leaf; and with 4pp subscribers list at end.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
SKU: BTETM0001984
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 3Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
1780 1st Edition With Provenance
A NEW UNIVERSAL HISTORY OF THE RELIGIOUS RITES
and Ceremonies and Customs of the Whole World
Or a complete and impartial view of all the religions in the various nations of the universe; both antient and modern, from the creation down to the present time.
By William Hurd D.D.
Author Bio: William Hurd, D.D. is the name credited on the title pages of A New Universal History of the Religious Rites, Ceremonies, and Customs of the Whole World (issued in parts and published in book form from around 1780, with later reprints such as 1799). The work is essentially a large English compilation/rewriting in the tradition of Bernard Picart’s illustrated surveys of world religions and ceremonies (hence the many folio copper plates).
Beyond that credit line (“D.D.”), reliable biographical details about a distinct 18th-century “William Hurd” associated with this book are surprisingly scarce in common reference sources.
Illustrated By: Various
Illustrator Bio:
Provenance: Early ownership inscription (twice, first blank page and title page): “William Massey, 1781”; bookplate removed from front pastedown.
Synopsis: A monumental late-eighteenth-century folio survey of global religious practice — rites, ceremonies, festivals, sacred architecture, clerical dress, and “curious customs” — designed as a compendious family library of comparative religion. The work is richly embellished with a complete suite of large folio copper-engraved plates depicting ceremonies and devotional life across cultures, accompanied by extensive letterpress text.
Synopsis: Author / work context:
Issued in 60 parts and later bound as a single imposing folio volume, this is one of the grand illustrated “universal histories” of the period: part ethnography, part encyclopaedia, and part devotional compendium, mapping Christian denominations alongside non-European and pre-Christian rites as understood by an eighteenth-century English readership.
Synopsis:
A striking visual and textual panorama of world religion at the cusp of modern comparative study. The engravings are the star — bold, theatrical scenes of worship, procession, sacrifice, initiation, and sacred costume — while the text offers an expansive (and period-typical) attempt to systematise belief and ritual across nations and eras.
Format: Hardcover, folio (fo 12 × 19 in 305 × 483 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Language: English
Published By: Alexander Hogg, London
Condition Report:
Dust Jacket: No Jacket, Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Good - Full calf folio; both boards present but detached. Text block firm and clean. Complete as collated (including full plate suite, explanation leaf, and subscribers list). A handsome, scarce folio with stunning, bold engravings throughout.
Plates credited on the title-page to Messrs. Walker, Collyer, Taylor &c.
Collation:
iv, [2], [5]–1704 [i.e. 704], xii, [4] pp; [61] leaves of plates. Complete: engraved frontispiece + 60 full-page copper plates (61 engraved leaves total); with “Explanation of the Frontispiece” leaf; and with 4pp subscribers list at end.
Please see Photos as part of condition report.
SKU: BTETM0001984
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 3Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request
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