Robert Beverley - The History and Present State of Virginia - 1705

An important first-edition account of colonial Virginia by Robert Beverley, published in London in 1705. The work is arranged in four separately paginated parts and offers an early account of Virginia’s history, settlement, natural productions, government, and the customs and way of life of its Indigenous peoples.

The book is particularly notable for its engraved illustrations, including 14 leaves of engraved plates depicting aspects of Virginia and the customs and practices of its Indigenous inhabitants. The engraved material forms an important part of the original publication.

Collation / Contents:
[12] preliminary leaves, 16 pp., [4] unnumbered pp., 104 pp., 40 pp., 64 pp., 83 pp., Errata, and 14 leaves of engraved plates.

The four parts cover the early settlement and government of Virginia; the natural productions and commercial potential of the colony; the Native Indians, including their religion, laws and customs; and the contemporary political and economic state of Virginia.

The title page is dated MDCCV (1705) and bears the London imprint of R. Parker, at the Unicorn under the Piazza’s of the Royal-Exchange. The volume also contains the engraved material associated with Simon Gribelin and the folding letterpress table recorded in bibliographical descriptions of the first edition.

An important early printed source for the history of colonial Virginia, the work is especially significant for its contemporary colonial perspective and its early engraved illustrations relating to Virginia and its Indigenous peoples.

A notable early American historical work, offered with its original four-part structure and 14 leaves of engraved plates.