pre-1777 NEW ENGLAND PRIMER. Unrecorded Edition Fragment with Unrecorded Woodcut.

A fragment, but a wonderful little piece of Americana. After a fair amount of research and in communication with the American Antiquarian Society [AAS], we have here what appears to be a previously unrecorded edition of the New-England Primer embellished with a previously unrecorded Colonial-American variant of "The Burning of Mr. John Rogers" woodcut.

We have consulted Elizabeth Reilly's Dictionary of Colonial American Printer's Ornaments and Illustrations as well as the holdings of the American Antiquarian Society itself and trace no similar example on record. Reilly records 15 variants of the John Rogers woodcut in various settings, but this is not among them, the present certainly appearing more like the earlier, Colonial-era iterations. 

The present is believed [in consultation with the AAS] to be pre-1777 and also more than likely a Colonial American imprint rather than British. The AAS catalogue of pre-1777 New England Primers lists 46 editions. This does not appear to be any of those and, in their words, seems to be "an intriguing [likely Colonial American] fragment," and one that, because of a lack of any extant complete copy, may be "impossible to identify with any certainty."  

Perhaps on the whole, it is most like Christopher Sower's various editions of the 1750's.

31 leaves, i.e. 62 pages present, and measuring 2.75 x 4 inches, beginning with the woodcut of John Rogers which is largely present and very charming. It the proceeds to the ten commandments, the Lord's prayer, a prayer before lying down, Agur's prayer, infant's grace before and after meat, remember thy creator in the days of thy youth, and further hymns and verses for children, the shorter catechism of the assembly of divines at Westminster, instructive answers and questions, the creed, a prayer for children in imitation of the Lord's prayer, and then a section of versus for children and a partial Westminster shorter catechism, the last three varying slightly in size and implying a married volume of two early editions. 

Barely a page without some significant handling, corners turned, tear, or loss. Please note ahead of time this is purchased as an historic and important fragment and is not complete.