Scarce 1707 First Edition of Fleetwood

Fleetwood, Bishop William. CHRONICON PRECIOSUM: OR, AN ACCOUNT OF ENGLISH MONEY, THE PRICE OF CORN, AND OTHER COMMODITIES, FOR THE LAST 600 YEARS. IN A LETTER TO A STUDENT IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD. London, Charles Harper, 1707. First edition. 8vo, contemporary full tan speckled calf, both sides featuring Cambridge Panels; spine with five raised bands; red morocco spine label, gilt; board edges decorated in gilt. (16), 181, (11) pages; tables. Joints a bit weak; very good or better. An attractive and fairly well-preserved copy of the first edition of this early work on English money, in a charming contemporary binding. Fleetwood’s is the earliest scholarly study of prices and wages in England. In it, the author attempts to compare the relative value of coins of different periods by determining their purchasing power, finding that most commodities rose in price at similar rates over time. This 1707 first edition is substantially more scarce than the 1745 second edition. Dekesel F113. Lipsius 128. Manville 84. Ex Johannis Powell, with his signature on the title; later in the library of Rev. Gervas Powell of Lanharan (Llanharan), Glamorganshire, with his bookplate.