Details
GIBBON, Edward (1737-1794). The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. London: for T. Cadell with W. Strahan (vols.I-III) or A. Strahan (vols.IV-VI), 1776-1788.
6 volumes, 4° (300 x 240mm). Engraved portrait frontispiece of Gibbon in vol.II (as issued), 3 folding engraved maps. (Occasional very slight marginal worming, occasional very slight spotting, vol.I: K4 with section of lower blank margin torn away, Aaa4 outer blank margin torn and neatly repaired, vol.III: 4B2 & 3 detached, vol.VI: tear in lower blank margin of preliminary leaf a3.) Original oatmeal-paper-backed grey/blue (vols.I, III-VI) and darker grey/blue (vol.II) boards, backstrips to vols.III-VI with printed arabic volume-numbers, the first two volumes numbered in manuscript, each volume titled in manuscript, uncut (some scuffing and bumping of corners, sections of backstrips to vols.II and III lacking, some other neat repairs to backstrips), each within modern cloth box.
A VERY FINE UNSOPHISTICATED COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL BOARDS, with all the required cancels. Volume I in the first state with 5 cancelled leaves, volume III with p.177 correctly numbered and the 'Honorious' misprint on p.179. As issued, the list of contents of vol.I are bound at the start of vol.II. The variation in colour of the boards probably does not mean that this is a made up set: it seems more likely that the publisher used the different paper stocks without any thought to uniformity as the boards were meant to afford only temporary protection. The uniformity of the manuscript titling supports this hypothesis. Norton 20, 23, 29; Rothschild 942.
Together with: GIBBON, Edward. A 1p. manuscript receipted bill for "Ouvrage fait pour Monsieur Gibbon par Deodey Mechanitien", Lausanne, dated 1 July [1789] by Gibbon and with his autograph signature. The work was carried out by Deodey over a two year period and was mostly repairs to Gibbon's clocks and barometers.
And: GIBBON, Edward. -- A mounted watercolour and pencil portrait, titled 'Gibbon', ownership inscription dated 1823 on verso, of the author seated on a wall in a pencilled lakeland landscape, 188 x 132mm. (8)
6 volumes, 4° (300 x 240mm). Engraved portrait frontispiece of Gibbon in vol.II (as issued), 3 folding engraved maps. (Occasional very slight marginal worming, occasional very slight spotting, vol.I: K4 with section of lower blank margin torn away, Aaa4 outer blank margin torn and neatly repaired, vol.III: 4B2 & 3 detached, vol.VI: tear in lower blank margin of preliminary leaf a3.) Original oatmeal-paper-backed grey/blue (vols.I, III-VI) and darker grey/blue (vol.II) boards, backstrips to vols.III-VI with printed arabic volume-numbers, the first two volumes numbered in manuscript, each volume titled in manuscript, uncut (some scuffing and bumping of corners, sections of backstrips to vols.II and III lacking, some other neat repairs to backstrips), each within modern cloth box.
A VERY FINE UNSOPHISTICATED COPY OF THE FIRST EDITION IN THE ORIGINAL BOARDS, with all the required cancels. Volume I in the first state with 5 cancelled leaves, volume III with p.177 correctly numbered and the 'Honorious' misprint on p.179. As issued, the list of contents of vol.I are bound at the start of vol.II. The variation in colour of the boards probably does not mean that this is a made up set: it seems more likely that the publisher used the different paper stocks without any thought to uniformity as the boards were meant to afford only temporary protection. The uniformity of the manuscript titling supports this hypothesis. Norton 20, 23, 29; Rothschild 942.
Together with: GIBBON, Edward. A 1p. manuscript receipted bill for "Ouvrage fait pour Monsieur Gibbon par Deodey Mechanitien", Lausanne, dated 1 July [1789] by Gibbon and with his autograph signature. The work was carried out by Deodey over a two year period and was mostly repairs to Gibbon's clocks and barometers.
And: GIBBON, Edward. -- A mounted watercolour and pencil portrait, titled 'Gibbon', ownership inscription dated 1823 on verso, of the author seated on a wall in a pencilled lakeland landscape, 188 x 132mm. (8)