The Earl of Strafforde’s Letters and Dispatches. . . .

Thomas Wentworth.

The Earl of Strafforde’s Letters and Dispatches. . . .

London:

Printed by William Bowyer,

1739.

This 18th-century book in sheets was folded and stored shortly after it was assembled from printed heaps, but before it was fully collated and the leaves properly folded for binding. How do we know? The topmost sheets for the second volume were visited by bookworms, which damaged the leaves while also creating an indelible pattern of holes in the paper—and a key to their original order. The title pages for the book’s two volumes, as well as the book’s lavish dedication, were nested within a quire for safekeeping.

From the collection of Rare Book School