The Life of Joanna Southcott, the Prophetess: containing an Impartial account of her wonderful and astonishing Writings, her Miraculous Conception, the coming of Shiloh, And the numerous Presents and her Preparatory to Her Accouchment, particularly the Superb Crib ! ! ! made by Mr. Seddon...
Stourbridge (West Midlands): Printed and sold by Heming and Tallis, 1814. Hardcover. Small octavo. 46pp. Pamphlet. Superb half-leather binding by renowned London book-binder Bernard C. Middleton. Brown calf over marbled papered boards with gilt title and decorations on spine. A rare edition - published only months before her death - of this short biographical study of Southcott, along with the text of various letters, public announcements, etc by her. The work seems to have been first published in London in the same year, and is commonly attributed to one John Fairburn. It may well be that it was an unauthorised edition as it omits any reference to Fairburn, and there was also an edition entitled "Fairburn's genuine edition of the life of Joanna Southcott, the prophetess" which would seem to indicate that the work was much pirated. The place of publication of this edition, Stourbridge in the West Midlands, was apparently home to many Southcottians, and a number of works relating to her were published there. The Stourbridge edition is very scarce - we could find reference to only two other copies, both in libraries in the United Kingdom. The Oxford University copy is listed as having a frontispiece, and if this is correct, it is wanting from this copy, although it does have the half-title page. A former domestic servant Joanna Southcott (1750 – 1814), convinced of her supernatural abilities began to pronounce prophecies, founded her own religious movement, and at age of 64, announced that she was pregnant and that her child would be the new Messiah, the Shiloh of Genesis. The child, however, did not eventuate, and not long after the announcement she died. From the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, with his ex-libris seal blind-stamped on the front free endpaper. Apparently lacking frontispiece (see description above), page edges browned, slight discoloration to pages, else a clean very presentable copy of a rare edition. Item #49608
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