Date: Fri 24-Sep-1999

Publication: Ant

Author: SHIRLE

Quick Words:

Gventer-Mather-Antiquarian

Full Text:

Restoration Of A Rare Mather Book On View October 10 At The Antiquarian Book

Fare

(with 1 cut)

By Bruce Gventer

SHEFFIELD, MASS. -- An important piece of Americana has been restored and will

be on display at the Sheffield Berkshire Antiquarian Book Fair at Mount

Everett High School on October 10 on Berkshire School Road on October 10. The

book is Parentator , written by Cotton Mather in 1724. It is the story of

Cotton's father, Increase, and contains a first-hand account of the early days

in Colonial America. It will be on display Sunday, from 10 am to 4 pm.

One of the best things about my job as a bookseller is hunting down

interesting and important books. Sleuthing about Portland, Me., I found a beat

up, defective copy of a very rare and important piece of American history. I

was visiting Bevinn O'Brien and we were talking about the book world and her

father, Frances O'Brien (now deceased). Francis loved books and he had a keen

interest in research. Bevinn showed me a copy of an old book missing the front

pages. Frances, who was a bookseller for 60 years, has been researching the

book. He determined it was a copy of Parentator by Cotton Mather. Along with

the book came a letter to Francis from the American Antiquarian Society, dated

1990, stating that the Society did have a copy of Parentator , but that the

book was not in a condition that allowed it to be copied. I purchased the book

from Bevinn and told her I would attempt to have it restored.

My first instinct was to call Robert Volz, custodian of the Chapin Library, in

Williamstown, Mass. Robert said Chapin had a copy of Parentator that I could

view. The Chapin Library has on permanent display a most remarkable collection

of Colonial Americana, including original copies of the Declaration of

Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution and the Bill of

Rights.

Next I contacted master book binder Denis Gouey, who has a bindery at 36 Main

Street, Torrington, Conn. Bindings signed by Denis Gouey can be found in

libraries belonging to the Rockefellers, the Vanderbilts, the Whitneys, Queen

Elizabeth, the Dalai Lama, and many others.

First Denis takes the photocopies obtained from the Chapin Library and makes

facsimiles on tinted sekishu paper. The facsimiles are then trimmed to the

same size as the pages in the book Parentator. Next Eloise hand sews the

facsimiles into signatures (book signatures are groups of 2, 4, 8 or 16 sheets

of paper). The facsimile signature will then be sewn onto the main body of

pages. Denis has decided to preserve the original sewing in the rest of the

book.

The binding consists of original sheepskin leather lightly tooled over wooden

boards. The leather is old and the early colonial hardwood boards are clearly

visible. The original leather is then attached to the new sheepskin and

mounted on museum board to make the book covers. The body of the book is then

sewn into the book covers. Then a conservation box is made to safely store the

book. The original wooden boards are housed inside the box as well.

Richard Mather was born in 1596. He was a graduate of Oxford College. Like

many of the first Puritans to come to the New World, Richard was seeking

freedom from persecution. He arrived in Boston in 1635.

The Mathers had a son named Increase in 1639, the year after the first

printing press arrived in the British Colonies. From the start the Mather

family was connected with writing and publishing in the New World. Increase

had a son, Cotton, born in 1663.

In England King James II was overthrown and King William and Queen Mary gained

power. When news reached the colonies of the rebellion in England the people

of Boston also rebelled. During this time Increase Mather made many trips to

England on behalf of the colonies. These visits to the Queen and King of

England are documented in Cotton Mathers' book, Parentator. The book details

Increase's thoughts and conversations with the King and Queen. Increase was

able to obtain a new charter that united Plymouth Colony with Massachusetts

Bay Colony and provided the colonies with more freedom.

Cotton was one of the founders of Yale University. Some of his writings were

well ahead of his time. He suggested teachers reward students for good

behavior rather than punish them for bad behavior. He believed doctors should

look at their patients' mental attitude as possible causes for some

complaints. He was instrumental in establishing societies to perform community

projects. His most famous work, the Magnalia Christii Americana is a massive

history of New England.

It was during Boston's smallpox outbreak of 1721 that Cotton Mather learned

about smallpox vaccinations from his slave. In Africa everyone was being

vaccinated and smallpox was all but eliminated. Mather tried to get the local

doctors to use the inoculation, but his proposal was rejected. One physician

agreed to try the inoculation and had great success. This opened the way for

the use of the smallpox vaccination in Boston and throughout the rest of the

colonies. Cotton became the first person born in America to become a fellow of

the Royal Society of London. An original Cotton Mather manuscript contains a

collection of remedies making it one of the earliest colonial medical works.

While Cotton is often remembered for his association with the Salem witch

trials, both Cotton and Increase wrote about them. Increase can be given some

credit for ending the trials.

Copies of Parentator are very rare. The last complete copy was sold at auction

by Sotheby's in 1981. Since then a defective disbound copy sold at Swann's in

1983, and a damaged and incomplete copy sold at Christie's in 1996.

Not only will the restored book Parentator be on display at the Sheffield

Berkshire Antiquarian Book Fair, but 40 exhibitors from across New York and

New England and Pennsylvania will be selling selections from their inventories

at the show. Books, prints, ephemera, historical documents, and many other

items that span the centuries will be offered for sale.

There will be two book binders at the show. Denis Gouey and Jack Fitterer will

both be exhibiting. Jack did a restoration of a rare Seventeenth Century work

that was the foundation for the formation of today's American government and

civil liberties.

For more information call 413/528-2327.