Three Evening Prayers by Austen, Jane; Roth, William Matson (Introduction) - 1940

San Francisco: The Colt Press [Printed by Lawton Kennedy], 1940. First and Limited Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. One of 300 copies, octavo size, [36] pp. The celebrated writer Jane Austen (1775-1817) is known for her novels examining the lives of English families living in the country, often with poignant observations on the characters' relationships and the changing economy and politics of England; this collection of prayers, attributed to Austen, was printed here for the first time. This relatively scarce publication from the Colt Press, the imprint of Jane Grabhorn (1911-1973), noted printer and typographer and married to Robert Grabhorn of the Grabhorn Press, of three "lost" prayers contains a facsimile manuscript of the prayers, written in various hands, one of which is attributed to Austen's brother, Henry, himself a clergyman; it is assumed that Jane Austen composed each of the prayers even if she did not write them down herself. The introduction is written by William Matson Roth (1916-2014), San Francisco native and founder of the Colt Press along with Jane Grabhorn; Roth provides a history of the prayers and those members of Jane Austen's family involved in their making and perservation. This elegantly published work offers a different sample of Austen's writing, something personal and joyous, an expression of her faith contained in her graceful and intelligent prose. ___DESCRIPTION: Full tan cloth with red and green floral pattern, fore- and bottom edges uncut, each prayer with red initial capital letter, Prayer One with first line in red, facsimile manuscript in brown ink tipped in at the rear; octavo size (8" by 5.5"), 36 unnumbered pages, one of 300 copies, unnumbered. ___CONDITION: Volume is near fine, with clean boards, corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, and the interior is clean with only light scattered foxing; some slight sunning to the spine, corners are very gently bumped, faint age-toning to the free endpapers, facsimile manuscript has a small crease along one edge and a very small closed tear at the bottom where it is tipped-in, and there is a prior owner name written in pen on the front free endpaper. ___POSTAGE:  International customers, please note that additional postage may apply as the standard does not always cover costs; please inquire for details. ___Swan's Fine Books is pleased to be a member of the ABAA, ILAB, and IOBA and we stand behind every book we sell. Please contact us with any questions you may have, we are here to help.