1769 Hutchinson Original Papers Massachusetts Bay Boston Colonial History For Sale

Thomas Hutchinson
Boston, New-England — Printed by Thomas and John Fleet, 1769

Offered here is an authentic 1769 Boston printing of Thomas Hutchinson’s important collection of documents relating to the colonial history of Massachusetts Bay. This is an original eighteenth-century American imprint printed approximately seven years before the Declaration of Independence.

Hutchinson compiled this collection as supporting documentary material for his history of Massachusetts. The volume reproduces early colonial records, correspondence, government documents, charters, and other primary-source material concerning Massachusetts Bay and early New England history. Bibliographic references record the original edition as ii + 576 numbered pages, and this copy retains the numbered text through the correct final page, 576.

The book is especially interesting for collectors of Colonial Americana, Massachusetts history, early American printing, Revolutionary-era material, and eighteenth-century books. The 1769 edition is a scarce original American printing and should not be confused with the later 1865 reprint or modern facsimile editions.

The book is bound in an old full-calf leather binding with raised spine bands. A surviving leather spine label reads “HUTCHINSON COLLECTION.”

The binding shows extensive age and use, including substantial leather rubbing and surface loss, cracking and separation along portions of the joints, worn spine ends, worn and rounded corners, edge wear, and deterioration around the spine. The leather title label is also partly loose/damaged. Please see the detailed photographs, as the exterior condition is fully shown.

Despite the rough exterior, the interior text block has survived substantially better than the binding. The pages remain very readable for a book printed in 1769.

I personally examined the numbered text page by page.

The numbered text runs through page 576, which is the correct final page for the 1769 edition. No missing numbered pages or torn-out numbered pages were found during inspection.

However, comparison with the bibliographic collation of the original edition indicates that the original preliminary title leaf/title page is no longer present. The surviving book begins with the preface before proceeding into the numbered text. Accordingly, this copy should not be considered bibliographically complete even though the primary numbered text appears complete.

Pages show expected signs of more than 250 years of age, including toning, foxing, discoloration, staining, occasional handling wear, and edge wear. No major tears were found in the numbered text during my page-by-page inspection.

There are earlier ownership markings, including “FRANCES MINTURN HALL” stamps, along with older handwritten/penciled inscriptions or notations. These have been left untouched as part of the book’s history.

No cleaning, restoration, rebinding, polishing, taping, or modern repair has been performed by me.

Hutchinson’s collection was intended to preserve and reproduce original documents connected with the history of Massachusetts Bay. Bibliographic descriptions note that the collection served as an appendix or documentary companion to Hutchinson’s earlier history of Massachusetts and is considered an important source collection for the colonial period.

An original 1769 edition is considerably different from inexpensive modern reproductions currently available. Comparable intact eighteenth-century copies have appeared through specialist antiquarian booksellers and major book sales, although value varies greatly according to completeness, binding, provenance, and condition.

Please examine all photographs carefully. The photographs show the exact book you will receive and form an important part of the condition description.

MAD Mercantile — Carefully Researched. Accurately Described.