Present Condition

There are few tears in the actual texts of the two volumes; the most notable tears appear on the two title pages. 

Most curiously, the two tears that appear are on the exact same page in both volumes in the upper right corner. The first volume (pictured on the left) has remnants of a signature, which was the reason why the corners were torn off. Perhaps the individual tearing off the signatures felt that the copies would have more value without those markings on the title pages. 

There is a stark contrast between the original paper and the free-endpaper used when the volumes were rebound. The original paper has held up fairly well, even though the paper was considered inexpensive, even by 18th-century printing standards. There are nearly no tears in the actual text, and certainly no marks that interfere with reading. The free-endpaper is made from a type of thick paper, akin to cardstock.