The Church History of Geneva, in Five Books. As also a Political and Geographical Account of that Republick.

Edition originale (First edition) de cet ouvrage, selon A. Burckhardt: “Genève présentée aux Bostoniens”. Né à Caen en 1692, Andrew Le Mercier, poursuivit ses études de théologie à Genève et embarqua pour l’Amérique où il devint pasteur à Boston à partir de 1715. The “Political and Geographical account…” has special title page and separate paging. “In 1729, French Protestant minister André Le Mercier worked, along with 13 other ministers, to create the Presbytery of Londonderry in New England. This was the first presbytery in New England and the only colonial presbytery that ever attracted a Huguenot minister (…). For some ministers Le Mercier offered an important bridge between Old and New World religious traditions. In 1732 le Mercier published [this] two-volume work (…). He was the only minister in all of New England with any direct knowledge of ecclesiastical and church practice in Calvin’s home city, and he took special care to explain Geneva’s parish system to his New England colleagues for whom formal parishes were becoming increasingly important in the eighteenth century” (Jon Butler, ‘The Huguenots in America: A Refugee People in New World Society’, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1983, 88). (Cf. A. Burckhardt, in ‘Bull. de la Soc. de l’Hist. du Protestantisme Français’, 1991, p. 613-637. Brinley Sales, 7593. Early American Imprints, I, n°3557. Evans, 3596). Petit manque de papier en marge de la p. 27 de la deuxième partie avec perte de qqs caractères. Quelques rousseurs. Provenance: “Jos. Green, 1732” owner’s signatures to title page and “The gift of Mr. Edward Jackson” handwritten from the same hand. Bel exemplaire conservé dans une reliure américaine de l’époque (A very nice early American binding in excellent condition).