The History of England From the Invasion of Julius Caesar to The Accession of Henry VII, Under the House of Tudor, and Under the House of Stuart. By David Hume. London: A. Millar, 1759-1762, 4tos.
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FIRST EDITIONS of volumes 1-4, and the second edition of volumes 5-6, as almost always encountered. David Hume's History of England is easily the most influential publication on this topic from the 18th century. Interestingly it was written and released in reverse chronological order (i.e. the Stuart volumes, then the Tudor volumes, then the Julius Caesar volumes).
It seems highly likely that this set was originally purchased all at the same time and bound together as a set. This is very scarcely encountered; most copies of this work are in later bindings where volumes have been married together. This is a remarkable example of the first edition of Hume's History of England in contemporary calf - a beautiful clean set, one of the best extant.
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Size: 205 x 259 mm (approx., each)
Condition:
Contemporary full calf, first volume without its title label, all other labels extant. A very attractive set on the shelf. Bindings rubbed, a few marks, all boards attached, some joints cracked, front board of the third volume fragile. Old auction label to rear board of volume six. Unidentified bookplate to front pastedown in each volume with the motto “Nil Conscire Sibi.” Internally very clean throughout, bright, mildly toned, very mild scattered spotting. Overall an excellent example, uncollated, but appears to be complete.
