The Extraordinary Black Book; An exposition of the United Church of England and Ireland

London: Effingham Wilson, 1831 . First edition. Leather. Very Good. 9" by 6". Not Stated. The first edition thus of this politically significant account of the financial corruption of the Church and government in the first half of the nineteenth century. First published in 1820 and passing through a number of editions, continually augmented with new arguments, accounts and statistics, this first edition thus revises and corrects the original, and is frequently cited as the most important, in being published on the eve of the Reform Bill.Illustrated with an engraved frontispiece.This work exposes corruption and financial mismanagement in the Crown, government and Church of Britain and Ireland, and was published to generate support for government reform. At a time of great upheaval in British history following the death of George IV, the producer's of this work were largely responsible for bringing about the Reform Act of 1832. In a quarter morocco binding with marbled paper covered boards and gilt detailing to back strip. Head of front and rear joints starting, with boards a touch tender but holding firm. Internally, first gathering slightly tender, otherwise firmly bound. Frontispiece and title page age toned with significant spotting, with remaining pages clean and bright. Very Good