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拍品專文
· The first printing of the Declaration of Independence in a book
· Printed by Philadelphia patriot-printer Robert Bell, just about three days after the first broadside printing by John Dunlap
· One of the earliest and rarest printings overall
· The inclusion of the Declaration in a book is significant—marking it not only as an item of sensational news, but also as a founding document already taking its place with other historical texts
During the summer of 1776, Philadelphia was the crucible of revolutionary discourse and political transformation. As delegates to the Continental Congress convened to determine the future of the American colonies, the city’s printing presses operated at a frenetic pace, producing a flood of pamphlets that reflected the ideological ferment of the time. Although the Revolutionary War had begun over a year ago, the Declaration of Independence was not inevitable.
The patriot-printer Robert Bell must have had Genuine Principles already on the press when the Declaration was made public. Genuine Principles was written under the pseudonym Demophilus—probably George Bryan (1731-1791). Bryan was a radical Whig who argued for a complete break from the British forms of government and the establishment of a highly democratic system based on popular sovereignty and natural rights. He was a principal drafter of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, widely regarded as the most progressive of the early state constitutions. Genuine Principles advocated for his position.
On July 4, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. That evening and into the early hours of 5 July, John Dunlap, the official printer to Congress, produced the first broadside edition of the Declaration. It was subsequently published in the 6 July issue of The Pennsylvania Evening Post, and again on 8 July in Dunlap’s own newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet, or General Advertiser. That same day, Colonel John Nixon delivered the first public reading of the Declaration in State House Yard, now known as Independence Square.
Amid this surge of activity, Robert Bell swiftly incorporated the Declaration into his current book. He appended four additional leaves to Genuine Principles, along with a newly composed conclusion that introduced the Declaration in striking terms:
"The events which have given birth to this mighty revolution; and will vindicate the provisions that shall be wisely made against our ever again relapsing into a state of bondage and misery, cannot be better set forth than in the following Declaration of American Independence."
The dating of Bell’s edition to July 8 is evidenced by the terminal advertising leaf, which bears the imprint: “Philadelphia, July 8, 1776.” On this page, Bell also announced the forthcoming publication of John Cartwright’s anonymously authored American Independence the Interest and Glory of Great Britain, originally printed in London earlier that year. The date is further corroborated by its appearance in advertisements in the 9 July issue of The Pennsylvania Evening Post and the 10 July issue of The Pennsylvania Gazette, both noting that the work is “just printed, published and now selling by Robert Bell.”
It is especially fitting that Bell was the first to print the Declaration in book form. As the original publisher of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Bell was a committed patriot and a central figure in the revolutionary print culture of Philadelphia.
Evans 14734; Hildeburn 3372; Howes B-900; Matyas, Checklist of Books, Pamphlets, and Periodicals, Printing the U.S. Declaration of Independence 76-01; Revolutionary Hundred 41 note; Sabin 26964; Streeter 778.
· Printed by Philadelphia patriot-printer Robert Bell, just about three days after the first broadside printing by John Dunlap
· One of the earliest and rarest printings overall
· The inclusion of the Declaration in a book is significant—marking it not only as an item of sensational news, but also as a founding document already taking its place with other historical texts
During the summer of 1776, Philadelphia was the crucible of revolutionary discourse and political transformation. As delegates to the Continental Congress convened to determine the future of the American colonies, the city’s printing presses operated at a frenetic pace, producing a flood of pamphlets that reflected the ideological ferment of the time. Although the Revolutionary War had begun over a year ago, the Declaration of Independence was not inevitable.
The patriot-printer Robert Bell must have had Genuine Principles already on the press when the Declaration was made public. Genuine Principles was written under the pseudonym Demophilus—probably George Bryan (1731-1791). Bryan was a radical Whig who argued for a complete break from the British forms of government and the establishment of a highly democratic system based on popular sovereignty and natural rights. He was a principal drafter of the Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776, widely regarded as the most progressive of the early state constitutions. Genuine Principles advocated for his position.
On July 4, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence. That evening and into the early hours of 5 July, John Dunlap, the official printer to Congress, produced the first broadside edition of the Declaration. It was subsequently published in the 6 July issue of The Pennsylvania Evening Post, and again on 8 July in Dunlap’s own newspaper, The Pennsylvania Packet, or General Advertiser. That same day, Colonel John Nixon delivered the first public reading of the Declaration in State House Yard, now known as Independence Square.
Amid this surge of activity, Robert Bell swiftly incorporated the Declaration into his current book. He appended four additional leaves to Genuine Principles, along with a newly composed conclusion that introduced the Declaration in striking terms:
"The events which have given birth to this mighty revolution; and will vindicate the provisions that shall be wisely made against our ever again relapsing into a state of bondage and misery, cannot be better set forth than in the following Declaration of American Independence."
The dating of Bell’s edition to July 8 is evidenced by the terminal advertising leaf, which bears the imprint: “Philadelphia, July 8, 1776.” On this page, Bell also announced the forthcoming publication of John Cartwright’s anonymously authored American Independence the Interest and Glory of Great Britain, originally printed in London earlier that year. The date is further corroborated by its appearance in advertisements in the 9 July issue of The Pennsylvania Evening Post and the 10 July issue of The Pennsylvania Gazette, both noting that the work is “just printed, published and now selling by Robert Bell.”
It is especially fitting that Bell was the first to print the Declaration in book form. As the original publisher of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, Bell was a committed patriot and a central figure in the revolutionary print culture of Philadelphia.
Evans 14734; Hildeburn 3372; Howes B-900; Matyas, Checklist of Books, Pamphlets, and Periodicals, Printing the U.S. Declaration of Independence 76-01; Revolutionary Hundred 41 note; Sabin 26964; Streeter 778.