The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon. Dublin: William Hallhead, 1777-1781, 8vo.
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FIRST EDITION THUS, a very rare pirated Dublin edition of Gibbon's magnum opus. A beautiful set in attractive contemporary bindings, very rare in such excellent condition. Volume one is the fourth edition and volumes two through to six are all of the first edition thus and are dated 1781. This set is the first six volumes only, as often, as the later volumes were printed seven years later and so are frequently missing.
This set includes the three foldout maps and the portrait frontispiece, here bound into volumes 4-6 and 3, respectively.
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Size: 131 x 210 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
Contemporary full calf bindings, each retaining its tooled red morocco title label. A little loss to gilt, some rubbing, but generally very good. All boards securely attached, bindings secure, stands without shelf lean. Frontispiece bound in volume three, foldout maps in volume four, five, and six. Lacks title leaf for volume five. Inscription to head of title leaf recto in each volume dated 1801. Generally bright and clean throughout the text blocks, a few small ink stains, sporadic very minor foxing/toning, but overall very good.
