The History of England

£1,500 · Offered by Shapero Rare Books

full tree-calf gilt A superb set of Macaulay's definitive History of England in full contemporary tree-calf gilt. Macaulay (1800-1859) returned to England from India in 1838 and entered Parliament as a member for Edinburgh. He became secretary for war in 1839, with a seat in Lord Melbourne's Cabinet but the ministry fell in 1841 and he found the time to publish his Lays of Ancient Rome (1842) and a collection of Critical and Historical Essays (1843), before his History in 1848. The work, much celebrated in its day, has become the archetype for the 'Whig' interpretation of history — of human progress from a benighted past to its glorious present. It focuses on the transition from the last Stuart monarch James II and VII to the co-regency and eventual reign of William III to his death in 1702, encompassing the Glorious Revolution and the Jacobite risings as England's last Catholic monarch was overthrown and the Kingdom entrusted to Dutch Protestant hands. 5 vols; 8vo (22.5 x 15 cm); portrait frontispiece, presentation inscription in pen to front free endpaper vol. I, occasional light spotting; contemporary tree calf, covers ruled in gilt, gilt spine in 6 compartments, contrasting brown morocco lettering-pieces, marbled edges, the odd mark to boards, spines slightly faded, near fine.

• Binding: Hardcover

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