A Tale of a Tub. Written for the Universal Improvement of Mankind. To which is added an Account of a Battel between the Ancient and Modern Books in St. James Library. Also A Discourse concerning the Mechanical Operation of the Spirit, in a Letter to a Friend. A Fragment. With the Author’s Apology and Explanatory Notes by W. Wotton and Others. Dublin: G. Falkner, 1769. Pp lxix, 286, [2]. Original full polished calf, title label lettered in gilt to spine. Light wear and fading to boards, margins of endpapers stained, contents pages generally in nice bright condition.

First published in London in1704, Swift’s “A Tale of a Tub,” was a biting satire on religious excess.

“The work made Swift notorious, and was widely misunderstood, especially by Queen Anne herself who mistook its purpose for profanity.” [The Cambridge guide to literature in English].