Visio Willi de Petro Ploughman. The Vision of William concerning Peirs Ploughman and The Visions of the same concerning the Origin, Progress, and Perfection of the Christian Life...Printed from a MS. contemporary with the author, collated with two others of great antiquity, and exhibiting the original text. Together with an introductory discourse, a perpetual commentary, annotations, and a glossary. By Thomas Dunham Whitaker…

London: Printed for John Murray, 1813 Full tan morocco over heavy wooden boards. Covers paneled in gilt, with elaborate blindstamped decoration in all four corners. Professionally rebacked, with old spine laid down. Spine with gilt tooling and raised bands, title and publication information in blind. . Quarto. Text in Black Letter, printed in black and red, with notes in roman type. Wood-engraved decorative initial letters and tail-pieces. Elaborate gilt-ruled turn-ins with parchment doublures and end-leaves, all edges gilt. Corners and bands rubbed, offsetting from turn-in, binding a bit toned. A very good copy. A sumptuously printed edition, with extensive notes. Lowndes notes that this work sold for a whopping £8.8s. when it was published, though it also adds that Whitaker "has carefully suppressed all the passages relating to the indecent lives and practices of the Romish Clergy" (p. 1888). Two of the manuscripts that were used were from the library of Richard Heber, to whom the book is dedicated. The third was housed at Oriel College, Oxford. (Inventory #: 14111)