The writings of Thomas a Kempis, an Augustinian monk of Mont St Agnes at Zwolle in the Netherlands, combined mystical theology and practical Christianity. His authorship of the devotional text, De Imitatione Christi (Of the Imitation of Christ), has been debated for centuries, but it was first printed in Augsburg in 1471 under his name. The first English translation of 1502, by William Atkinson, was ascribed to Jean Gerson of Paris, but most of the numerous English editions cite Thomas a Kempis as author. The work was popular for its simple, clear teaching. It is not surprising to find a copy bound for Queen Anne, a devout Christian and staunch upholder of the traditions of the Church of England, who revived the custom of Touching for the King's Evil to cure scrofula, and established Queen Anne's Bounty to supplement the stipends of the poorest clergy.

The translator, grandson of George Stanhope, Chaplain to James I and Charles I, was appointed Chaplain to William III c.1697, and to Queen Anne in 1702. In March 1704, just before this edition was published, he was appointed Dean of Canterbury. This was probably a presentation copy to the Queen.

The binding does not fit into any of the well-known styles of the period but draws elements from several: a central panel with finials, common on plainer bindings during the seventeenth century; the half-moon with inverted centre, more usually found on cottage-roof bindings; the long sprays of foliage from the sixteenth-century fanfare style; and the leafy curls and flower vases from the Restoration period. The Queen's arms, a simplified form of the Stuart arms used until the Union of England and Scotland in 1707, include her motto Semper Eadem (Always the same woman), copied from Elizabeth I. Most English and British monarchs since Henry VI have used the motto Dieu et mon Droit (God and my Right).

This fourth edition, of 398 pages and two plates was printed in London by D. Brown, et al.

Catalogue entry from 'Royal Treasures, A Golden Jubilee Celebration', London 2002.

Binding information

Contemporary red goatskin binding, with elaborate gold-tooling on both sides and spine.

Identical design on both sides: outer border formed of a dotted roll and looping ribbon-like pattern of dotted gouges and delicate tear-drop tools; border of the same. The space between both borders tooled profusely with swirling vines, leaves, circles, sunbursts, flowers, pointilles, and leafy sprays. In the centre, the arms of Queen Anne, surrounded by the garter and surmounted by a crown, above an unfurling ribbon with the motto: ‘SEMPER EADEM; above and below the arms, a semi-circular pattern formed of gouges and leaf sprays, and filled with pointilles dots, stars, tulips, flower-heads and swirling vines.

All sides and insides of both boards tooled with flower-head roll.

Spine divided into six compartments by raised bands, each tooled with a flower-head roll. Each compartment tooled with a double fillet border; the first, third, fourth and sixth compartments tooled with a circular lobed border, framed with semi-circles and a flower tool in the centre, with a swirling vine tool in each of the corners; the second and fifth compartments tooled with a flower-head surrounded by a hatched cross border in the centre and swirl corner tools. Head and tail of spine tooled with flower-head roll and looping ribbon pattern.

Contemporary marble end leaves.

All edges gilt and goffered with looping ribbon and tear-drop identical to that on both boards and spine.