I have a fairly rare but very interesting book to offer it is oblong, completed engraved (no type setting here) and quite amusing, it has a table  of the modes of demise sand other activities of royalty with symbols  for example”§= strangled.  a= natural death…” the usual lists of kings empires et c. BUT what I find most interesting is the descriptions of the methods employed to make this book useful to the Reader!

The index go to very detailed descriptions of everything from the engraving of the plates and the bookbinding method! see the Advertisement below.

656J Marcel, Guillaume, 1647-1708. Translated by William Parsons 1658-1725

Chronological tables of Europe : from the nativity of our Saviour to the year 1703 : engraven on 46 copper-plates, and contriv’d in a small compass for the pocket : being of great use for the reading of history, and a ready help to discourse : digested into so very easie and exact a method, that any one may immediately find out either pope, emperour, or king, and thereby know in what time & kingdom he reign’d, who were his predecessours, contemp[ou]rs, & success[ou]rs, to what virtues or vices he was most inclinable, the good or ill success of his fortune, the manner & time of his death .

London : B. Barker at the White-Hart and C. King at the Judges Head in Westminster Hall 1707.  $2,000

Oblong duodecimo 12.5 x 8 cm. Bound in contemporary calf, rebacked.

[41]leaves ;The plates are numbered:

AI-AIV, *1, BI-BIV, C1 (on verso of BIV) C2-C18, P1-P17. & *1*, *II-*III

(the two folding leaves) At the foot of the titlepage is an advertisementby B. Barker and C. King; This is a variant which has this by W. Rogers.The first five leaves are printed on both recto and verso; two folding leaves are included in the total. THIS IS THE FIRST Edition in this format!

Originally published as:

Chronological tables. Derived, with slight modifications, from Guillaume Marcel’s Tablettes chronologiques, Paris, 1686. Cf. DNB. Engravings by John Sturt.

This book is quite useful and good reading for the curious, The Preface , To the Reader and ADVERTISEMENT

Inform us to the method of production and its success, including the physical steps that have been employed to prevent the leaves from droping out. The choice of the engraving method allows for thisbook to feel like a hand written Vade Mecum. Parsons tells us that the earlier editions “…has been near upon 4 thousand of them (copies) Already Disposed of.” Further on He tells us how and why this oblong one side printing makes this book especially interesting.

I have Never seen a book which provides the reader with such detailed and intimate directions and explainations.. I think of The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy.1759.

I can only offer you this book itself ;

“Wherein our Aurthor Appears to have a More than Ordinary Genius”