A COMMENTARY ON THE HOLY BIBLE (4 volumes) with A COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT (2 volumes)

London and New York: Thomas Coke and Daniel Hitt, 1801. Complete in 6 volumes. Volumes 1-4, the commentary on the Old Testament, are the true first edition, printed for Thomas Coke in London 1801-1803. Volumes 5 and 6, the commentaries on the New Testament, are the first American edition, published by Daniel Hitt in New York in 1812.. Thomas Coke (1747-1814), an Anglican priest who converted to Methodism, became John Wesley's "right-hand man" in the Methodist Church. He was especially active in establishing the church in countries other than England. He was President of the Methodist Church of Ireland several times, but his most important interest was the United States to which he traveled nine times between 1784 and 1803. Coke and Francis Asbury were elected as the first superintendents of the American Methodist Church. After the death of Wesley, Coke expected to be named Bishop (at that time there was only Bishop in the entire Church), but the Methodist Conference, while electing him as president on 2 occasions, never acceded to Coke's requests to be named Bishop. Coke was a prolific writer, who wrote a history of the Bible and a history of the West Indies, but the Commentary is arguably his most significant work. Modern reprints are readily available, but complete sets of original printings are scarce and seldom appear on the market. All six volumes are complete and remain tightly bound, but 2 volumes have some chipping that reaches below the headbands, and one volume has significant chipping/rubbing on the bottom corner of the front board.. First Edition. Hardcover. Collectible-Good+. 4to - over 9¾" - 12" tall. Book.