Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esquire.

$550.00

Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esquire. With Memoirs of His Life and Writings.

Edward Gibbon (8 May 1737 – 16 January 1794), best known for his monumental Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, published as six volumes from 1766 to 1788, entered Oxford at age 15, departed 14 months later, stayed for years on the continent, (mostly Switzerland), then returned to England where he wrote Essai sur l’Étude de la Literature, which brought him some fame.

He was a member of parliament and of the Royal Academy, as well as a freemason. Following his Essai sur l’Étude…he authored various works of little consequence before his Decline and Fall, which established his reputation, began its extended 12-year long publication.

He died from peritonitis, six years after the final volume of that work was published.

This rare, first edition set was published two years after his death.

 

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These are two-volumes of Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esquire. issued as a complete set in 1796. A third volume was added in 1815. The text is in the original English and French, with english-languge commentary by John Lord Sheffield.

The covers (app. 9″ x 11″), calf spines with four raised bands, gilt lettering in attached black labels, marbled boards with leather corners, have splits at the front tops of the spine, with looseness to both at those positions. This is more pronounced in Volume I, in which the top of the spine is partly loose. However, both covers are reasonably well-attached. The insides are in very good overall condition. There are a few cracked gutters to the ends, but there are no loose or missing pages. Volume I (703 pages) has no stamps or other attachments, and no writing.

The only illustration, that of the frontispiece silhouette, is in excellent condition (see photo). There are a few tears, including a small hole to the final text page (703), with parts of three words missing, though it is clear what each word is. The red page edges in both volumes are unfaded and clean. There are a few stains to the page faces, most to the end pages, but almost all faces have no stains. Volume II (726 numbered pages, plus errata page), is in the same overall condition, with a few tears, one cracked gutter at the front, but no loose pages, and few stains.

This rare pair is very good overall, the cracks and looseness at the spines and few cracked gutters being the most prominent flaws.

The accompanying photos are accurate reflections of the set conditions.

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