An Extract of the Christian's Pattern (Imitation of Christ) - John Wesley 1756 Rare Methodist Foundry Imprint

by Thomas a Kempis; John Wesley (Ed.)

[METHODIST FOUNDRY IMPRINT] KEMPIS, Thomas à. An Extract of the Christian's Pattern: or, A Treatise of the Imitation of Christ. Written in Latin by Thomas à Kempis. Published by John Wesley, M.A. London: Printed in the Year 1756; and Sold at the Foundry, Upper-Moor-Fields. First Edition thus, 2 5/8 x 4 1/8 inches (pocket duodecimo), vii, 288, [13] pp. Bound in full contemporary dark calfskin, featuring an elegant gilt-stamped central starburst/lozenge motif to both boards, decorative gilt corner tools, and spine richly tooled in gilt across four compartments with three raised bands. All edges gilt (dulled). Striking contemporary combed marbled endpapers.

Condition: Covers show moderate to heavy rubbing, uniform scuffing, and expected edge wear; tips bumped and slightly frayed with minor chipping to the spine caps. Both front and rear joints are cracked but remain stable, showing evidence of early historic glue reinforcement; text block remains firm. Interior shows uniform age-toning and occasional mild marginal smudging or foxing. Heavy soiling and localized chipping to the fragile marbled endpapers (most notable at the rear pastedown hinge). Leaf pp. 121-122 features an old vertical tear repaired with Japanese tissue on both sides, slightly affecting the edge of the text block. Leaf pp. 133-134 shows a ragged fore-edge with minor text loss to the outer margin, alongside a near full-height closed vertical tear running near the gutter margin, touching the first letters of the text block but leaving legibility intact. Overall, a highly complete, unrestored, and deeply evocative copy of a fragile, heavily read Methodist survival. OCLC (No. 43539199) locates only two copies worldwide: Cambridge University (UK) and Drew University (NJ). Reference: Baker, Union Catalogue of Publications of John and Charles Wesley, No. 26. 

A remarkably rare early London imprint of John Wesley's celebrated abridgment of the 15th-century devotional classic, The Imitation of Christ. Anglican theologian and Methodist founder John Wesley (1703–1791) originally executed a full English translation of Thomas à Kempis's Latin text in 1735 as one of his earliest published works. 

Following the formal maturation of the Methodist movement in 1738–1739, Wesley realized that his followers required a more accessible, portable, and streamlined edition focused entirely on 'religion of the heart.' The resulting Extract of the Christian's Pattern was first published in 1741 and systematically stripped of its strictly monastic medieval elements to serve as a daily spiritual handbook for the working-class Methodist societies. 

Because these pocket-sized volumes were subjected to intensive, daily devotional use by early adherents, the vast majority were read to pieces. Early editions are exceptionally scarce on the market. Following the 1741 original, subsequent editions appeared in Bristol (1746) and London (1753), followed by this rare 1756 printing distributed directly from Wesley's famous ministerial headquarters and chapel at 'The Foundry' in Upper Moorfields. An essential piece of early Wesleyan typography and printing history.