The Temple Church. [1843. First Edition].

Longman, Brown, Green, Longmans, 1843 viii, 127 printed pages + 4 pages of publisher's adverts at the end. Lithographic frontispiece, engraved title-page, 3 full-page lithographic plates with tissue-guards by Brandard, and engraved vignette head-pieces over the chapters. Nineteenth century engraved pictorial bookplate (88x69mm) on front free endpaper of John T. Beer depicting two palm trees (bearing the legends Knowledge is Might, and Truth is Firm) either side of an owl on the side of a well-head that bears the third bold aphorism, Wisdom is Life. Pages evenly & mildly toned. Original yellow-coated endpapers. Some very light spotting on title-page and frontispiece. 15 x 21 cm. Original red, vertically grained decorative cloth (slightly faded & rubbed, corners slightly bumped). Spine professionally and sympathetically rebacked over fifty years ago. Upper cover with Knights Templar coat of arms (the lamb of God bearing the cross of St George, laid on to a shield with the Cross of St George), within blind embossed fleuron corner-pieces and blind embossed scrolling key pattern borders. The rear cover is identical but the arms are not in gilt. A history of London's Temple, Temple Church, and its monuments. Charles Addison from Kent (1812-66) was called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in June 1842, and his Preface is dated Inner Temple November that year. He also wrote a history of the Templars (1842), an account of his travels to Damascus and Palmyra (1838) and various legal texts. The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated in 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of Jerusalem. During the reign of King John (11991216) it served as the royal treasury, supported by the role of the Knights Templar as proto-international bankers. It is now jointly owned by the Inner Temple and Middle Temple Inns of Court, bases of the English legal profession. It is famous for being a round church, a common design feature for Knights Templar churches, and for its 13th- and 14th-century stone effigies. It was heavily damaged by German bombing during World War II and has since been greatly restored and rebuilt. Provenance:- from amusing bookplate of John T. Beer on the front paste-down end-paper. "John T. Beer was a successful Merseyside clothier and an avid book collector, who turned to fore-edge painting after his retirement and produced hundreds of works between 1884 and 1900. As he was not a professional painter working on commission, Beer was able to select books from his own collection, including several incunabula, and decorate them to his own taste" (scolarcardiff.wordpress.com). This copy, alas, does not have a fore-edge painting but it is not located in WorldCat and has only been found in the British Library.. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good.