2009 First Folio Society Edtn Ltd 482/980 KING HENRY'S PRAYER BOOK By James P. Carley

2009 First Folio Society Edition

KING HENRY'S PRAYER BOOK
By James P. Carley

KEY DETAILS
Condition: Very Good
Format: Hardcover, Octavo (Standard) (8vo 6 × 9 in 152 × 229 mm )
Note: Binding/size selection follows standard bibliographic conventions and is approximate; exact measurements may vary.
Published By: The Folio Society, UK, 2009
Language: English
Limited Edition: 482/980 Copies
Collation: Facsimile: complete reproduction of the original manuscript of 176 folios, approximately 360 reproduced pages including manuscript preliminaries and flyleaves.; Commentary: 96 pp., colour frontispiece.
Dust Jacket: None, as issued, No Jacket
SKU: BTETM0002329
Shipping Info: Approximate Package Dimensions H: 12.5, L: 30, W: 25 (Units: cm), W: 2Kg
Tracked Shipping, Insurance Coverage as per Customer Request

DESCRIPTION
King Henry's Prayer Book
BL Royal MS 2A XVI Commentary by James P. Carley An exceptional limited-edition facsimile of King Henry VIII's personal Psalter, reproduced from British Library Royal MS 2 A XVI, one of the most intimate surviving books associated with the Tudor monarch. Produced by The Folio Society in 2009 in an edition limited to just 980 numbered copies, this example is No. 482. The manuscript facsimile reproduces the richly illuminated Latin Psalter commissioned for Henry VIII in c.1540–1541, including the King's own marginal annotations, elaborate illuminated initials and scenes presenting Henry in the guise of the biblical King David. The facsimile is sumptuously bound in red silk velvet over boards, with replica metal corner pieces and two clasps, gilt page edges and irregularly trimmed leaves reproducing the appearance of the original manuscript. It is accompanied by the separately bound scholarly Commentary by James P. Carley, in black buckram blocked in gold. Both volumes are housed together in the original black buckram Solander presentation case, also blocked in gold. A particularly handsome production combining Tudor history, manuscript illumination, royal provenance and the craftsmanship for which the Folio Society's major limited editions are known.

CONDITION, COLLATION & COPY NOTES
Near Fine set in Very Good+ Solander case. The principal facsimile volume presents extremely well, bound in red silk velvet with metal clasps and corner pieces reproducing the surviving Tudor binding. Both clasps and the decorative corner fittings are present. The velvet remains rich and attractive, with only light variation to the pile and minor signs of handling visible, gilt page edges remain bright. The manuscript leaves reproduce the staining, irregularities, marks, marginalia and other physical characteristics of the original sixteenth-century parchment manuscript; these are features of the facsimile reproduction and are not condition faults to this copy. The accompanying commentary volume by James P. Carley is bound in black buckram with gilt decoration and appears Near Fine, with clean leaves and only minimal signs of handling. Original black buckram Solander case structurally sound and internally clean, with scattered light surface rubbing, pale handling marks and minor cosmetic marking to the exterior, visible in the photographs. These marks do not affect the integrity or function of the case. A very attractive and complete example of this important Folio Society limited edition. Please see Photos as part of condition report.

REFERENCES
British Library, Royal MS 2 A XVI — Psalter ('The Psalter of Henry VIII') The Folio Society, King Henry's Prayer Book, London, 2009 James P. Carley, King Henry's Prayer Book: BL Royal MS 2 A XVI — Commentary, Folio Society, 2009

SYNOPSIS
King Henry's Prayer Book offers an unusually intimate encounter with Henry VIII. Rather than being merely a ceremonial royal manuscript, the volume was actively read and annotated by the King. Its Latin Psalms are presented in an elegant humanistic script surrounded by sumptuous Renaissance illumination, while Henry's handwritten notes remain visible in the margins. Jean Mallard's visual programme repeatedly identifies Henry with King David, presenting the English monarch as ruler, warrior and penitent. The resulting manuscript combines private devotion with an exceptionally sophisticated statement of Tudor kingship. The Folio Society facsimile preserves these characteristics in remarkable detail, reproducing the illuminations, marginalia, physical imperfections and elaborate velvet-and-metal binding of the original. For collectors of Folio Society limited editions, Tudor history, illuminated manuscripts, royal books or fine facsimile editions, it represents one of the Society's most distinctive historical productions. The Original Manuscript The manuscript reproduced here is British Library Royal MS 2 A XVI, traditionally known as King Henry's Prayer Book and more precisely catalogued as the Psalter of Henry VIII. Created in London around 1540–1541, it was written by the French-born court poet and calligrapher Jean Mallard, who also probably executed its illumination. Mallard's dedicatory letter explicitly compares Henry VIII with the biblical King David, a theme developed throughout the manuscript's visual programme. The original consists of 176 parchment folios containing the Psalter together with three Canticles. Its decoration includes the royal arms, seven major narrative miniatures, richly coloured and gilded initials, flowers, birds, fruits and insects. Most importantly, Henry VIII used the manuscript personally. Numerous marginal annotations survive in the King's own hand, making it not simply a magnificent royal commission but a rare record of Henry's private reading and devotional thought. Henry VIII as King David The manuscript's illuminations deliberately associate Henry with King David, the biblical model of the warrior, ruler, musician and penitent king. Henry appears reading in his bedchamber, in prayer and in other compositions derived from the Psalms and the life of David. The imagery creates an unusually personal connection between the biblical text and Henry's conception of sacred monarchy. Other miniatures include the encounter of David and Goliath, a battle scene, Henry with his celebrated court jester William Sommers, musicians and angels singing. The combination of portraiture, biblical symbolism and Henry's handwritten marginalia gives the manuscript a degree of immediacy rarely encountered in surviving Tudor royal books. The Folio Society Facsimile The Folio Society produced this edition as a full-size colour facsimile, attempting to preserve not merely the manuscript's text and illumination but its physical character. The facsimile reproduces the red velvet binding over boards, elaborate metal clasps and corner pieces, gilded and irregular page edges, parchment colouring, historical staining, creases, watermarks and even faint marks appearing on the original leaves. The result is an unusually convincing object-facsimile, designed to convey the appearance and tactile character of Henry VIII's original volume rather than simply reproduce its printed or illuminated content. The accompanying 96-page commentary volume by James P. Carley provides the historical, codicological and bibliographical context for the manuscript and discusses its relationship to Henry VIII and his library.

AUTHOR BIO
James P. Carley is a Canadian scholar and bibliographer internationally recognised for his work on medieval and early Tudor manuscripts, the history of libraries and the dispersal and provenance of English monastic books. He has written extensively on Henry VIII's library and surviving royal manuscripts, making his accompanying commentary particularly valuable to collectors interested in the historical context and provenance of the original Psalter.