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PAIN, William (ca. 1730-1790). The Practical House Carpenter; or, Youth’s Instructor… With Additions. Philadelphia: Thomas Dobson, 1797. 4to. Illustrated with 147 (of 148) copper engraved plates (numbered 1-146, two plates numbered 3 and two plates numbered 65 as issued; 5 double page, and 2 folding plates). Approximately 9 x 7”. [36] pp. text [3 preliminary leaves, numbered with Roman numerals, followed by 15 leaves signed A-P]. Plate 8 partially missing at bottom right corner, plate 115 missing, and plate 140 supplied from another smaller copy. Contemporary full brown calf. Rebacked to style in brown morocco, spine stamped in gilt (scattered foxing, water staining, and ink blotches throughout as is typical of this book, small tears on plates repaired with archival type, along with the re-backing, was performed by conservator Jennifer Jestin of New York City). New ffep and front blank. Early manuscript ownership inscription by William Sutherland of Charleston, South Carolina,1804. Bookplate of the Middleton Architectural Library dated 2017. THE SECOND AMERICAN EDITION OF ONE OF PAIN’S MOST INFLUENTIAL ARCHITECTURAL PATTERN BOOKS, TAKEN FROM THE SIXTH LONDON EDITION. The first American edition appeared the previous year and was printed by William Norman of Boston. The Practical House Carpenter was only the seventh architectural book to be printed in the United States and all those published before 1800 are extremely rare in any condition and are often found incomplete. William Pain was a British architect, carpenter, and joiner who was a prolific author on these subjects and his books were widely popular on both sides of the Atlantic. The content of this work contains designs for civic buildings, domestic houses, churches, cornices, chimney pieces, doors, and staircases. The reprinting of the works of Pain, and other British authors, was intended to provide a cheap alternative to purchasing imported copies from England. In most cases, the quality of paper is lower than their English counterparts. These early works were often heavily used and consulted by early American builders and architects, as in this copy. However, the cheaper price tag and extensive use by early owners accounts for their typical poor condition and scarcity. The Practical House Carpenter was acknowledged as one of the major sources of inspiration for first uniquely American architecture book, Asher Benjamin’s The Country Builder’s Assistant, which first appeared in 1797, the same year as this edition of Pain’s work.