The martyrdom of man
by READE, William Winwood
- Used
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Wareham, Dorset, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Trubner & Co., 1872. viii, 544pp. Original publisher's blind-stamped green cloth, lettered in gilt. Rubbed, joints starting, chipping to head and foot of spine, a trifle cocked. Endpapers browned, early bookseller's description pasted to FEP, scattered foxing. The first edition of novelist and controversialist William Winwood Reade's (1838-1875) elaborate and learned impeachment of Christianity from a historical and ethnological standpoint. This book, which has been described as a 'bible for secularists', defies easy categorization. According to Reade, his original intention was to restore Africa to a central place in world history through a consideration of such themes as the role of Islam, the history of the slave trade, and the evolution of mankind. The book which actually emerged is a somewhat romantic study in universal history, treating the evolution of civilizations in the Mediterranean and the Near East in terms of the impact of war, religion, liberty, and the intellect on human life. Reade's militant agnosticism is manifest in his provocative account of the role of science in the modern world, in which Christianity itself is dismissed as the product of a passing age of superstition. Such sentiments were too radical for the orthodox press. Yet, despite unfavourable reviews, the book was to sell extremely well. . First edition. 8vo.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Antiquates Ltd (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- AQ20639
- Title
- The martyrdom of man
- Author
- READE, William Winwood
- Book Condition
- Used
- Edition
- First edition
- Binding
- Hardcover
- Publisher
- Trubner & Co.
- Place of Publication
- London
- Date Published
- 1872
- Keywords
- History
- Size
- 8vo
Terms of Sale
Antiquates Ltd
Antiquates Ltd was established by Tom Lintern-Mole in 2007; we travel far and wide to buy, sell, and advise on rare books and manuscripts.
Concentrating on hand-press printing and early modern manuscripts, we pride ourselves on offering a varied selection of antiquarian works on a diverse range of subjects, leaning towards the interesting, the important, and the unusual.
We have a countryside bookshop in Wareham; we also regularly issue catalogues - do ask if you would like to be added to our mailing list - and frequently exhibit at regional and national book fairs in London, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, and York.
We also offer a valuation service (for either insurance or probate purposes), as well as advice on library development.
Concentrating on hand-press printing and early modern manuscripts, we pride ourselves on offering a varied selection of antiquarian works on a diverse range of subjects, leaning towards the interesting, the important, and the unusual.
We have a countryside bookshop in Wareham; we also regularly issue catalogues - do ask if you would like to be added to our mailing list - and frequently exhibit at regional and national book fairs in London, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, and York.
We also offer a valuation service (for either insurance or probate purposes), as well as advice on library development.
About the Seller
Antiquates Ltd
Biblio member since 2008
Wareham, Dorset
About Antiquates Ltd
Mail Order and Internet, but in normal times we have an antiquarian bookshop in the Dorset countryside.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Chipping
- A defect in which small pieces are missing from the edges; fraying or small pieces of paper missing the edge of a paperback, or...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Cocked
- Refers to a state where the spine of a book is lightly "twisted" in such a way that the front and rear boards of a book do not...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...