Apologia Pro Vita Sua: Being a Reply to a Pamphlet Entitled..

1864. Cardinal Newman's Sharp Defense of his Conversion to Catholicism Newman, John Henry [1801-1890]. Apologia Pro Vita Sua: Being a Reply to a Pamphlet Entitled "What, Then, Does Mr. Newman Mean?" London: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, and Green, 1864. iv, 430, 127 pp. Octavo (8-3/4" x 5-1/4"). Contemporary patterned cloth, rebacked retaining most of existing spine with gilt title and author name, edges untrimmed. Binding slightly cocked, light rubbing, soiling and fading to boards, moderate rubbing to board edges, spine ends and corners bumped, corners lightly worn. Moderate toning to interior, light foxing and soiling in a few places, printer's flaw to p. 203 with loss to text but not legibility, early pencil marks to margins of a few pages, ownership signature ("F.E. Riley"?) and pencil notations to title page. $200. * First edition in book form. Originally printed in parts, this spirited religious autobiography details the conversion of John Henry Newman, formerly an Anglican priest, to Catholicism. Newman had already established himself as a controversial figure as a leader of the conservative, high church Oxford Movement, and drew still more ire with his conversion to Catholicism during a time of significant anti-Catholic sentiment in England. The Apologia sought to refute the claims of Newman's detractors that he had been a Catholic agent during his time as an Anglican and that his conversion was less than genuine. The work was highly successful and well-reviewed by both Catholics and Protestants.