1807 - Stultifera Navis — The Modern Ship of Fools. Philadelphia Fry & Kammerer, Leather, John Brown (Bath Co., VA) Bookplate

$450.00
Rare 1807 Philadelphia edition of Stultifera Navis: The Modern Ship of Fools — an early American political and moral satire in the “Ship of Fools” tradition; leather-bound with the engraved bookplate of John Brown of Bath County, Virginia (a Revolutionary War patriot noted in local records and reported captured during the war). Excellent research provenance for the historian or serious Americana collector. Bibliographic & physical description Published: Philadelphia: Fry & Kammerer, Printers, 1807. Format: Octavo (approx.), ~295 pp. Binding: Early contemporary leather; boards sound but the binding shows age—splits at the spine, bumps and rubs to corners and board edges as described in the condition note below. Text block secure; pages age-toned, occasional foxing typical of period paper. No modern bookplates and just some pencil ownership notes. Content & significance Stultifera Navis (Latin: Ship of Fools) is a moral and political satire that adapts the medieval and Renaissance allegorical conceit of Sebastian Brant’s Das Narrenschiff for the early American Republic. The work lampoons the social and political follies of the post-Revolutionary era — speculative greed, political opportunism, clerical hypocrisy, and the pretensions of fashionable learning — and situates those critiques in a recognizable classical allegorical framework. Written anonymously (as was common for political satire of the period), this Philadelphia imprint belongs to the small corpus of early American adaptations of the “Ship of Fools” tradition and is of special interest to students of Federal-era print culture and political rhetoric. Provenance (important association) This copy bears the engraved bookplate of John Brown of Bath County, Virginia. Historical records and local county histories identify a Major/Captain John Brown of Bath County who served in the Revolutionary War and who is recorded in regional manuscript notebooks and pension/chronicle material; some contemporary accounts and later biographical notes state that this John Brown was taken prisoner during the Revolution. The presence of Brown’s bookplate in this early American satire creates a direct and compelling association between a veteran of the Revolution and the civic-minded moral literature of the early Republic — a provenance of clear value to collectors of Revolutionary and Virginian Americana. Rarity & research value This Fry & Kammerer imprint (Philadelphia, c.1807) is uncommon in institutional holdings; listings in 19th–20th century American bibliographies record few copies. As an early American political satire that explicitly invokes the Stultifera Navis tradition, it has demonstrable research value for scholars of early American print, political culture, and the reception of classical allegory in the new Republic. The additional, verifiable association with John Brown of Bath County enhances both the narrative interest and provenance value of this copy. Condition (please read carefully) -Binding: Early leather; binding is sound but shows wear. There are splits at the spine (visible in photos), with one or two gatherings a bit sprung but the sewing and cords intact. Boards show bumps and rubbing to extremities consistent with age and handling. -Text block: Complete to the best of my inspection. -Leaves: Age-toned, scattered foxing and light soiling in places; no modern annotations. -Bookplate: Engraved bookplate of John Brown, Bath County (Va.) adhered to front pastedown; early ink ownership inscription (period hand) not present beyond the plate. -Contemporary bibliographic records and Shaw–Shoemaker / Sabin entries list the Fry & Kammerer Philadelphia imprint among scarce early 19th-century satirical imprints. (Institutional holdings are limited.) Check out some of my other books here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=29392957 Or just browse around the shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP
Rare 1807 Philadelphia edition of Stultifera Navis: The Modern Ship of Fools — an early American political and moral satire in the “Ship of Fools” tradition; leather-bound with the engraved bookplate of John Brown of Bath County, Virginia (a Revolutionary War patriot noted in local records and reported captured during the war). Excellent research provenance for the historian or serious Americana collector. Bibliographic & physical description Published: Philadelphia: Fry & Kammerer, Printers, 1807. Format: Octavo (approx.), ~295 pp. Binding: Early contemporary leather; boards sound but the binding shows age—splits at the spine, bumps and rubs to corners and board edges as described in the condition note below. Text block secure; pages age-toned, occasional foxing typical of period paper. No modern bookplates and just some pencil ownership notes. Content & significance Stultifera Navis (Latin: Ship of Fools) is a moral and political satire that adapts the medieval and Renaissance allegorical conceit of Sebastian Brant’s Das Narrenschiff for the early American Republic. The work lampoons the social and political follies of the post-Revolutionary era — speculative greed, political opportunism, clerical hypocrisy, and the pretensions of fashionable learning — and situates those critiques in a recognizable classical allegorical framework. Written anonymously (as was common for political satire of the period), this Philadelphia imprint belongs to the small corpus of early American adaptations of the “Ship of Fools” tradition and is of special interest to students of Federal-era print culture and political rhetoric. Provenance (important association) This copy bears the engraved bookplate of John Brown of Bath County, Virginia. Historical records and local county histories identify a Major/Captain John Brown of Bath County who served in the Revolutionary War and who is recorded in regional manuscript notebooks and pension/chronicle material; some contemporary accounts and later biographical notes state that this John Brown was taken prisoner during the Revolution. The presence of Brown’s bookplate in this early American satire creates a direct and compelling association between a veteran of the Revolution and the civic-minded moral literature of the early Republic — a provenance of clear value to collectors of Revolutionary and Virginian Americana. Rarity & research value This Fry & Kammerer imprint (Philadelphia, c.1807) is uncommon in institutional holdings; listings in 19th–20th century American bibliographies record few copies. As an early American political satire that explicitly invokes the Stultifera Navis tradition, it has demonstrable research value for scholars of early American print, political culture, and the reception of classical allegory in the new Republic. The additional, verifiable association with John Brown of Bath County enhances both the narrative interest and provenance value of this copy. Condition (please read carefully) -Binding: Early leather; binding is sound but shows wear. There are splits at the spine (visible in photos), with one or two gatherings a bit sprung but the sewing and cords intact. Boards show bumps and rubbing to extremities consistent with age and handling. -Text block: Complete to the best of my inspection. -Leaves: Age-toned, scattered foxing and light soiling in places; no modern annotations. -Bookplate: Engraved bookplate of John Brown, Bath County (Va.) adhered to front pastedown; early ink ownership inscription (period hand) not present beyond the plate. -Contemporary bibliographic records and Shaw–Shoemaker / Sabin entries list the Fry & Kammerer Philadelphia imprint among scarce early 19th-century satirical imprints. (Institutional holdings are limited.) Check out some of my other books here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP?ref=shop_sugg§ion_id=29392957 Or just browse around the shop! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DCSILVERSHOP