The Book of Common Prayer; And Administration of the Sacraments and other Rites and Ceremonies of the Church According to the use of the Protestant Episcopal Chuch in the United States of America Together with The Psalter or Psalms of David

37 x 26.5 cm. Folio. [28] 566 [2] pp. Bound into full vellum over boards, decorated with gilt botanical design, ornate brass clasps. Printed on American hand-made paper. TEG, others deckled. Text printed in black and red. With elaborate foliated borders designed by D. B. Updike throughout the work. It was printed for the General Convention of the Episcopal Church of 1892. This convention decided on the second major American edition of the prayer book, being the first major revision since the edition of 1789. Three different versions of this work were issued. This is one of only 75 copies of the "canonical edition" which were distributed to Episcopal dioceses. On the verso of the title page, it is signed by 13 of the people involved in the revision approved by the Convention of 1892. This includes financier and banker J. P. Morgan. Morgan supported the Protestant Episcopal Church throughout his life and commissioned this work. Other signers include William Croswell Doane, Henry Cadman Potter, Samuel C. Hart, Joseph Packard Jr, Samuel Eliot, and others. The title page does not have a foliated border. There was a similar "subscriber's edition" done, limited to 500 copies, which reproduces the signatures in facsimile and its title page has foliated decorations. Another edition in a smaller format edition distributed to attendees of the 1892 Convention. The Plan of Symbolism and method of decoration were arranged by Daniel Berkeley Updike, founder of the Merrymount Press. The preparatory studies of plants were made by William Wells Bosworth. The floral designs for the borders and cover were by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and the final drawings for reproduction were by Joseph Eliot Hill. Closed ~7 cm tear at top of front cover hinge. There is some damp staining to the foredge as well as to the edges of some of the pages. This is most noticeable on the last dozen or so pages but at no point do the stains reach the text. This also affects the edges of the front and back cover. References: Griffiths, Bibliography of the Book of Common Prayer 1893:6.