Bidspirit auction | Josephus, Flavius. The Wars of

Josephus, Flavius. The Wars of the Jews, 1719 - This is an early American colonial printing of Flavius Josephus' history concerning the First Jewish-Roman War. The work is titled The Wars of the Jews. In Two Books. With the most Deplorable History of the Siege and Destruction of the City of Jerusalem. The text was epitomized from the works of Flavius Josephus and translated into English by Sir Roger L?Estrange. The title page states this was reprinted at Boston by S. Kneeland for B. Eliot in 1719, based on a previous London edition. Samuel Kneeland was a significant printer in colonial Massachusetts, and this volume represents a rare early 18th-century Boston imprint. The small-format volume, likely a duodecimo, is bound in period full brown leather. The text utilizes typical 18th-century typography, including the archaic long s and running headers. The narrative covers the siege of Jerusalem, the burning of the Temple by the Romans under Titus Vespasian, and various accounts of omens and apparitions reported before the city's ruin. Approximate measurements: 15 cm x 9.5 cm Detailed Condition Report: The volume is in poor to fair condition. The period leather binding is heavily distressed with significant surface loss, cracking, and deterioration. The spine is largely perished, and the boards show heavy wear with rounded corners and exposed substructure. Internally, the paper is heavily tanned and foxed throughout. There is substantial chipping and fraying at the page edges, with several leaves showing marginal loss that occasionally impacts small portions of the text. The binding is shaken and fragile.