An early Victorian printing of John Bunyan's classic Christian allegory, first issued in 1678.

The Pilgrim's Progress, from This World to That Which is to Come, by John Bunyan; Containing His Authenticated Third Part, "The Travels of the Ungodly." Collated, for the first time, with the early editions, and the Phraseology of All His Works, With Illustrative Notes from His Own pen, by the Rev. Robert Philip.

Published by George Virtue, London. Undated, but c. 1843. Presumed 1st edition thus.

A good hardback with its original contemporary boards rebacked with a modern spine. Black leather to spine and corners, with gilt title. Cloth is heavily scuffed and worn, and corners bumped and exposed at extremities. With strengthening tape to inner hinge. Offset remains of a bookplate removal - difficult to make out, but potentially carries an 1843 date ?

Endpapers spotted and plates also with some spotting and offsetting. With showthrough to gutter at Preface section, with a loose page vii. With some scattered spotting and usage marks throughout and slight age toning to page edges. With occasional small flaw - portrait frontispiece has a nibbled marginal corner loss and one plate has a 5cm edge tear

Overall text is clear and legible. The colour fold-out, produced for this volume, is particularly striking. An imperfect, but interesting and usable edition.

Text in English.

cxiii + viii + 572pp + Plates and colour fold-out plan of 'The Road from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City'. One Plate is at the beginning of 'Bunyan's Life' and another 6 Plates immediately precede the opening of The Pilgrim's Progress, Part I. They are annotated in script at the foot with the page number in the tale they relate to. There is also a frontispiece plate preceding the preliminary pictorial title and a frontispiece portrait of Bunyan before the Preface. All plates believed to be as called for.

Dimensions: 

Approximately 221mm high x 150mm wide x 46mm deep.

Weight approximately 974g unpacked.