A YOUTHFUL JOHN HANCOCK SIGNS A BOOK FROM HIS LIBRARY

JOHN HANCOCK (1736-1793). Hancock was President of the Second Continental Congress during the American Revolution. He signed the Declaration of Independence, and his is the most recognizable and iconic signature on that document.

SB. 240pg. 1757. No place.  A book signed “John Hancock 1757” atop the title page.  The book is The Adventures of David Simple. Volume The Last published in London in 1753.  The book, the third in the series, was written by Sarah Fielding, an English novelist best remembered for The Governess, or The Little Female Academy; she was also the sister of the prominent author Henry Fielding.  Based on the date, Hancock was 20 or 21 when he signed this volume.  It has the original calf with gilt borders on the front and back covers; the rear cover has more wear than the front.  The spine is relatively tight and the number “3” is marked in gilt.  The inside pages are generally clean.  There is also contemporary writing on the inside front cover; it appears as if someone practiced his or her alphabet there.  Books from Hancock’s library are scarce; only a handful have appeared at auction in the last two decades.