The Ornaments in Swedenborg's Theological First Editions
Jonathan S. Rose, M.Div., Ph.D.


Initials

Eleven different large decorated initial letters occur a total of nineteen times. Identical frames and similar flowers show that ten of the eleven are related. Comprising the letters A, D, F, I, L, O, P, Q, S, and U, they are large enough to offset seven lines of Swedenborg's normal type (size eleven over twelve). The odd one out, another P, has a wilder leafy design, lacks a frame, and is slightly smaller, offsetting six lines of text (Initial 10). Although they usually occur right below headpieces as restatement that a major section of text is beginning, initials occur twice without headpieces (the preface of Apocalypse Revealed and the first page of text in True Christian Religion).3 Initials are the only category unique to one city: they appear in no works Swedenborg published in London but in every work he published in Amsterdam.

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Initial 01: Amsterdam

initgif.01.gif

Occurs once.
DL.3.

Initial 02: Amsterdam

initgif.02.gif

Occurs once.
DL.5.

Initial 03: Amsterdam

initgif.03.gif

Occurs three times.
SS.3; CJ.3; CL.253.

Initial 04: Amsterdam

initgif.04.gif

Occurs once.
LI.3.

Initial 05: Amsterdam

initgif.05.gif

Occurs twice.
FA.3; CL.3.

Initial 06: Amsterdam

initgif.06.gif

Occurs once.
CJ.12.

Initial 07: Amsterdam

initgif.07.gif

Occurs six times.
DW.3,25,48,87,114; AR.5.

Initial 08: Amsterdam

initgif.08.gif

Occurs once.
DP.3.

Initial 09: Amsterdam

initgif.09.gif

Occurs once.
AR.3.

Initial 10: Amsterdam

initgif.10.gif

Occurs once.
BE.3.

Initial 11: Amsterdam

initgif.11.gif

Occurs once.
TR.3.

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