Item of the Day: Sterne’s Sentimental Journey (1790)

Full Title:
A Sentimental Journey through France and Italy by Mr. Yorick. A New Edition.
Written by Laurence Sterne. With engravings. Bound in ivory vellum with gold leaf. Printed in London by A. Strahan; for J. Johnson, G.G. J. & J. Robinson, T. Cadell, J. Murray, W. Lowndes, G. & T. Wilkie, Ogilvy and Speare, and W. [...]

Item of the Day: The Boston Massacre (1770)

Full Title:
A Short Narrative of the Horrid Massacre in BOSTON, perpetrated in the Evening of the Fifth Day of March 1770, by Soldiers of the XXIXth Regiment, Which, with the XIVth Regiment, Were Then Quartered There. With Some Observations on the State of Things Prior to that Catastrophe.
At a town meeting March 12, 1770, James [...]

Item of the Day: Early American Drama (1810)

Bound together:
Man and Wife, or, More Secrets than One: A Comedy by Samuel James Arnold, Esq.
The Free Knights, or The Edict of Charlemagne: A Drama in Three Acts, Interspersed with Songs by Frederick Reynolds
The Foundling of the Forest: A Play by William Dimond, Esq.
Alfonso, King of Castile: A Tragedy in Five Acts by M.G. Lewis
Venoni, [...]

Item of the Day: Friends and Indian Natives (1805)

Full Title:
Brief Account of the Proceedings of the Committee, Appointed by the Yearly Meeting of Friends, Held in Baltimore, for Promoting the Improvement and Civilization of the Indian Natives.
Created after the Baltimore Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Printed in Baltimore by Cole & Hewes, 1805.
From pp. 9-12:
In the Second Month, 1799, the [...]

Item of the Day: Moliere in French and English (1732)

Full Title:
Select Comedies of Mr. de Moliere. French and English. In Eight Volumes. With Frontispiece to each Comeddy. To which is Prefix’d a curious Print of the Author, with his Life in French and English. Vol. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Written by Moliere, 1622-1673. French and English on facing pages. Each play [...]

Item of the Day: Microcosm of London (1809)

Microcosm of London
“This work already honoured by His approbation is most humbly dedicated by permission to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales by his grateful, and obedient servant, R. Ackermann.”
Written by Rudolph Ackermann, 1764-1834; William Henry Pyne, 1769-1843; William Combe, 1742-1823; Augustus Pugin, 1762-1832; Thomas Rowlandson (illus.) 1756-1827; Hand-colored engravings throughout by Pugin and [...]

Item of the Day: Bacon’s Essayes (1632)

Full Title:
The Essayes or, Covnsels, Civill and Morall: of Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount St. Alban. With a Table of the Colours, or Apparances of Good and Evill, and their Degrees, as Places of Perswasion, and Disswasion, and their Severall Fallaxes, and the Elenches of them. Newly enlarged.
Written by Francis Bacon. Contains table and Of the [...]

Item of the Day: Molloy’s De Jure Maritimo et Navali (1682)

Full Title:
De Jure Maritimo et Navali: or, A Treatise of Affairs Maritime and of Commerce. In Three Books. The Third Edition Enlarged.
Written by Charles Molloy. Printed in London for John Bellinger in Cliffords-Inn Lane, against the West Door of St. Dunstans Church; and George Dawes in Chancery Lane, against Lincolns-Inn Gate, 1682.
From the introduction:
THE Wisdom [...]

Item of the Day: Strahlenberg’s Description Historique de L’Empire Russien (1757)

Full Title:
Description Historique de L’Empire Russien; Traduite de l’Ouvrage Allemand de M. le Baron de Strahlenberg.
Written by the Baron of Strahlenberg. In two volumes. Printed in Amsterdam and sold in Paris, Chez Desaint & Saillant, rue Saint Jean de Beauvais, vis-à-vis le Collége, 1757.
From Chapitre Premier. Entendue actuelle de l’Empire Russien, & ses divisions ancienne [...]

Item of the Day: Cobbett’s Political Censor (1796)

Coincidence led me to today’s choice of Peter Porcupine’s radically Federalist journal, The Political Censor. While I was in Philadelphia, I ran across several satirical representations of Porcupine, some of whose writings I knew were in the Reading Room. Upon my return, I was just sitting down to read him when I happened upon last [...]