The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

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The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

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Sale 776: Rare Books & Manuscripts (#776) 11/17/2022 11:00 AM PST Closed
Starts Ending 11/17/2022 11:00 AM PST

Lot #103The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

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Estimate: $30,000 - $50,000

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Sale 776: Rare Books & Manuscripts (#776) 11/17/2022 11:00 AM PST Closed
Starts Ending 11/17/2022 11:00 AM PST

Description

Title:

The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Author:

Gibbon, Edward

Place Published:

London

Publisher:

Printed for W. Strahan & T. Cadell

Date Published:

1776-1788

Description:

6 volumes. [12], 586, [2], lxxxvii + errata; [12], 640 + errata; [12], 640 + errata; [4], xvi, 620; [12], 684; [14], 646, [52 including errata] pp. With 3 engraved folding maps, All half-titles present but absent the engraved frontispiece portrait of Gibbon. (4to) 27.4x21.6 cm (10¾x8½"), period mottled calf (with first volume recased and spine ends restored), elaborately ornamented gilt-rolled spines, maroon morocco lettering pieces, gilt-filleted edges, top edges of textblocks stained black (edges of Vol. I stained red), marbled endpapers. First Edition.

First editions of all six volumes of the most celebrated historical work in English literature, considered a "masterpiece of historical penetration and literary style". It is the first modern history of ancient Rome, and covers the period of the Roman Empire from the 2nd Century A.D. to its collapse in the west in the 5th Century and in the east in the 15th Century. Thirteen centuries are surveyed, from the age of Trajan to the fall of Constantinople. Gibbon wrote that it was in Rome on October 15, 1764 while “musing amidst the ruins of the Capitol, where the barefooted friars were singing vespers in the temple of Jupiter . . . the idea of writing the decline and fall of the city first started into my mind.” It would not be until 1772, after his father’s death and Gibbon’s taking up independent lodging in London, that he would begin the masterpiece, an endeavor that would take him twenty years to complete. In a letter written shortly before his death, David Hume wrote to Gibbon praising the Decline and Fall but warning that it might not be well-received in England because “Your Countrymen, for almost a whole Generation, have given themselves up to barbarism and absurd faction, and have totally neglected all polite Letters.” Contrary to the dour Hume, the book was a sensation, and the first printing sold out within a fortnight. Printing and the Mind of Man 222. Rothschild 942. Armorial bookplates of Ambrose Phillipps de Lisle, British Catholic-convert and founder of Mount St. Bernard Abbey, a Trappist monastery.

Additional shipping charges may apply

Condition:

Light rubbing with a few gently bumped corners and a few scuffs to calf, slight chip to heel of Vol. V; a few minor worm trails, light foxing, and minor wear; a handsome set in very good or better condition.

Item#:

345420a

Headline:

Gibbon's Decline & Fall, First Edition of all vols.
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