1687 Folio – The History of the World – Sir Walter Raleigh – London – Original Calf Binding

London, 1687. Folio.

A late 17th-century edition of The History of the World by Sir Walter Raleigh, written during his imprisonment in the Tower of London and first published in 1614.

This 1687 London printing presents the work in full folio format and includes the engraved allegorical frontispiece. The title page reads:

“The History of the World, in Five Books… By Sir Walter Raleigh, Knight.”
Printed for Tho. Bassett, Ric. Chiswell, Benj. Tooke, Tho. Passenger, Geo. Dawes, Tho. Sawbridge, M. Wotton, and G. Conyers.
London, 1687.

Raleigh’s ambitious universal history traces events from Creation through the ancient world and stands as one of the most substantial intellectual works produced in early modern England.

Binding

• Full period calf

• Raised bands

• Red morocco spine label

• Heavy surface wear, cracking, and loss consistent with age

• Structurally intact but visibly worn

This appears to be an early binding, likely contemporary or near-contemporary to the printing.

Condition

• Engraved frontispiece present
• Title page in red and black
• General age toning
• Binding heavily worn but intact
• Not disbound or rebacked

(Complete collation not verified; sold as shown.)