Title: AN ESSAY | Towards a | REAL CHARACTER, | And a | PHILOSOPHICAL | LANGUAGE. | By John Wilkins D.D. Dean of Ripon, | And Fellow of the ROYAL SOCIETY. |—| [armorial device] |—| LONDON, | Printed for Sa: Gellibrand, and for | JOHN MARTYN Printer to the ROYAL | SOCIETY, 1668. Pagination: [2] blank/order, [2] t.p./blank, [16], 1-454; + 79 leaves of Dictionary, unpaginated (158 pages); Illustrations: folding plates before pp. 167, 187, and two folding plates before p. 443. Collation: π² a-d² B-Z⁴ Aa-Zz⁴ Aaa-Lll⁴ Mmm³ aaa⁴ Aaa-Sss⁴ ttt³ Size: 4to, 32 x 20 x 5 cm; Binding: Full speckled calf, later polished calf spine with raised bands, double fillet ruled gilt compartments, crimson label with gilt lettering, margins sprinkled red. The work of John Wilkins is dedicated to the problem of the universal language. Wilkins was the Dean of Ripon from 1663 to 1672 and one of the founders of the Royal Society.