{"id":9913500,"date":"2026-01-12T17:07:54","date_gmt":"2026-01-12T17:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sokol.co.uk\/?post_type=product&p=9913500"},"modified":"2026-01-12T17:07:55","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T17:07:55","slug":"kempis-thomas-a-3","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/sokol.co.uk\/stock\/kempis-thomas-a-3\/","title":{"rendered":"KEMPIS, Thomas \u00e0"},"content":{"rendered":"

A rare and lovely English edition of the first three books of Thomas \u00e0 Kempis\u2019s hugely influential spiritual guide, the popular translation of Thomas Rogers (d. 1616), first published 1580. Rogers published a translation of the fourth book, the Soliloquium animae, in 1592.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Imitatio Christi, written by the Augustinian monk Thomas \u00e0 Kempis (c.1380-1471), was one of the most enduring religious texts of the late medieval and early modern periods. It emphasised withdrawal from the vanities of life but also passive and internal spirituality rather than active devotion, and so was popular with both the clergy and laity. The first English translation was in the mid-C15th. Thomas Rogers was a prolific translator of religious texts into English and is also known for his exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles. The dedication is to Thomas Bromley (1530-87) who as Lord Chancellor presided over the trial and execution of Mary Queen of Scots. The influence of the French Reformed tradition on Rogers is obvious: he provides two letters, the first on the reasons for imitating Christ, the second on the Latin translation by the French Reformer Sebastian Castellio (1515-63); there follows a \u2018godlie preface\u2019 by the French translator of the Latin edition. <\/em><\/p>\n

\u2018\u2018The Imitation of Christ\u2019 is a book of mystical thought which throughout history has appealed to Roman Catholics and Protestants alike. It has been the most widely read devotional manual apart from the Bible, perhaps even surpassing the influence of such books as \u2018Pilgrim\u2019s Progress\u2019 and Augustine\u2019s \u2018Confessiones\u2019 (PMM, p. 9). <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

12mo. pp. (xlviii) 277 (xi) [i]. Roman letter. Two woodcuts depicting King David to first verso and B12v, printer\u2019s device to last verso. Woodcut initials, woodcut and typographical headpieces. Small rust stain to t-p, light intermittent inkstain to upper outer corners. A good copy in C18 vellum. Fox Pointe bookplate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[697,309],"product_tag":[831,794],"class_list":{"0":"post-9913500","1":"product","2":"type-product","3":"status-publish","5":"product_cat-philosophy-theology","6":"product_cat-english","7":"product_tag-english","8":"product_tag-theology","10":"first","11":"instock","12":"shipping-taxable","13":"purchasable","14":"product-type-simple"},"yoast_head":"\nKEMPIS, Thomas \u00e0 | Sokol Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sokol.co.uk\/stock\/kempis-thomas-a-3\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"KEMPIS, Thomas \u00e0 | Sokol Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"12mo. pp. (xlviii) 277 (xi) [i]. Roman letter. Two woodcuts depicting King David to first verso and B12v, printer\u2019s device to last verso. Woodcut initials, woodcut and typographical headpieces. Small rust stain to t-p, light intermittent inkstain to upper outer corners. A good copy in C18 vellum. 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Roman letter. Two woodcuts depicting King David to first verso and B12v, printer\u2019s device to last verso. Woodcut initials, woodcut and typographical headpieces. Small rust stain to t-p, light intermittent inkstain to upper outer corners. A good copy in C18 vellum. 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