1808 The Holy War John Bunyan Antiquarian Religious Book Engraved Provenance
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
The Holy War Made by Shaddai Upon Diabolus for the Regaining of the Metropolis of the World By John Bunyan
Published 1808 in London by W. Suttaby, Crosby & Co., and Scatcherd & Letterman
Printed by R. Edwards, Crane Court, Fleet Street.
Illustrated with an engraved frontispiece depicting Emmanuel commanding Diabolus to be stripped of his armour, together with a vignette engraving on the title page.
 
Historical & Bibliographic Context
First published in 1682, The Holy War is one of the great allegorical religious works of English literature, written by the celebrated Puritan author John Bunyan, best known for The Pilgrim’s Progress.
The work presents a powerful spiritual allegory in which the human soul is represented as the city of Mansoul, contested between the forces of good and evil. Written during the turbulent religious climate of post-Restoration England, Bunyan’s allegories offered both theological instruction and moral reflection to generations of readers.
By the early nineteenth century, Bunyan’s works had become staples of devotional reading in Britain, leading to numerous small-format editions such as this one, designed for private study and domestic libraries.
 
About the Author
John Bunyan (1628–1688) was a Baptist preacher and religious writer best known for The Pilgrim’s Progress. His allegorical works remain classics of Protestant devotional literature.
 
Binding & Exterior Description
A handsome later nineteenth-century half-calf binding.
Features include:
Thick calf leather spine and board edges
Four raised bands forming panelled compartments
Striking orange, white, and black marbled paper boards
Marbled turn-ins extending onto the pastedowns
Vibrant marbled endpapers
The binding remains robust and highly decorative, giving the small volume considerable shelf appeal.
Condition:
Light rubbing and small marks
Minor surface wear consistent with age
Overall, very good condition for a book over two centuries old
 
Interior Condition
The interior shows typical signs of age but remains structurally sound.
Pages tanned throughout
Light foxing and occasional small marks
Creasing mainly at page edges
Occasional small edge tears not obscuring text
Notable points:
Decorative ink gift inscription dated 1811 on the front flyleaf
A few pages contain small ink marks or crosses
Small hole on page 221
Tear through page 77-78 and 295-298 (no loss)
Neatly repaired tear on pages 85–88 (no loss)
Corner loss to page 301 in the index, which slightly goes through text
Tightly bound, but cracks visible in the gutter between preliminary pages
 
Pagination:
x preliminary pages
305 pages of text
Page iii and its verso missing prior to the Preface page.
 
Physical Details
Approx Dimensions: 12.8 cm by 7 cm by 2.4 cm
Weight: 135 g
A compact pocket-sized antiquarian volume typical of early 19th-century devotional books.
 
Collector Notes
This copy is particularly desirable for:
Its early 1808 printing
Decorative Victorian half-calf binding
Engraved frontispiece and vignette
Early dated inscription (1811)
Small-format Bunyan editions were widely read and frequently worn, making well-preserved examples increasingly collectible among antiquarian religious book collectors.
 
Provenance
The front flyleaf bears an elaborate handwritten gift inscription:
“Token of Respect from Mr & Mrs See to Master Thos Ireland 1811 – Remember thy Creator in the Days of thy youth.”
Written in stylised decorative script, this early inscription provides a glimpse into the book’s use as a moral or religious gift to a young reader in the early nineteenth century.