The Roman History, from the Foundation of the City of Rome, to the Destruction of the Western Empire. By Dr. [Oliver] Goldsmith. In Two Volumes. London: S. Baker, 1769, 8vo.
FIRST EDITION OF OLIVER GOLDSMITH'S CELEBRATED HISTORY OF ANCIENT ROME.
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Size: 130 x 207 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
[t.p., i-x, 487pp., 14pp., (2)]; [t.p., i-v, 501pp., i-xi, (1)]
Contemporary full calf, uniform, each volume retaining its tooled red morocco label, chipped. Bindings rubbed with the leather along the joints of the second volume raising, but with all boards securely attached. The bindings are secure and stand without shelf lean. Shelf and edge wear with commensurate losses at the corners as typical. Small bookplate to front pastedowns written in ink in two hands, the first scored out, likely contemporary, the second dated 1869. A further ink inscription of the same older inscription is scored out to the head of the front pastedowns, but given the further information that this person was a student of Magd. Coll(ege) Cambridge. Lacks front blanks, but due to the edge toning of the title pages, it's likely that these volumes were either bound without these blanks or that they were excised very early on. Generally very clean throughout the text blocks, mildly toned, with some foxing to the extremities of the text blocks, generally confined to the rear blanks. A lovely set of the first edition of Goldsmith's History of Rome.
