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Gibbon, Edward : Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, in Six Volumes, Quarto, Abridged in Two Volumes, Octavo

Printed for G. Kearsley, Johnson's Head, Fleet Street., London, England, 1789

First Abridged Edition. Two volumes, complete. Contemporary brown full leather binding with gilt lettering on red spine labels. Brown cloth-covered slipcase included. No lettering on slipcase. Each book: 5 1/2" x 8 1/2." Slipcase: 5 3/4" x 8 3/4" x 3 1/2." All pages of both volumes, complete. Vol. I: xi, [1] 2-569. Vol. II: xi, [1] 2-562. Two additional pages in back of each volume advertising books published by G. Kearsley. Former owner's signature ("G. Carrington") written in black ink on each half-title. Former owner's black-and-white illustrated bookplate tipped in on front pastedown of each volume. The bookplates have no text and show a coat of arms with the head of a unicorn as the crest, three smaller unicorn heads on the shield, and a diagonal bend running from the upper-left to lower-right behind the three unicorns. Pages are very clean and intact overall except for minuscule age toning throughout, light foxing and staining throughout, and offsetting and a few stains on front and back endpapers. Covers are very clean and intact except for slight wear to extremities and moderate rubbing and surface wear to front, back, and spine. Slipcase is virtually pristine and intact except for light to moderate fading. Very Good copies in a Near Fine slipcase. This is the First Abridged Edition of Edward Gibbon's famous work, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Gibbon's history about the Roman Empire was originally published in six volumes from 1776-1788. The First Abridged Edition had abridged the contents of the original six volumes into two volumes. An excerpt from the Advertisement in the front of Vol. I makes a note upon this abridgment: "[B]ut if [Gibbon] has faithfully compressed in two octavo, the principal historical events which elucidate the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and which in the original are diffused through six quarto volumes, he may claim, and, perhaps, be indulged in the humble praise of industry and accuracy. The striking features of the nations more remotely connected with the subversion of the Roman empire are slightly delineated; part relative to the state of modern Rome is intentionally omitted; and much religious disquisition has been carefully rejected." Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) was an English historian, author, and politician. Gibbon served as a Member of Parliament from 1774-1784. Gibbon is perhaps best-known for his History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire which discusses the fall of the Roman Empire and other parts of ancient Roman history from the years 98 to 1590. Among the many subtopics addressed in Gibbon's History are the peak of the Roman Empire, early Christianity, the emergence of the Roman State Church, Genghis Khan, Tamerlane, the decline of the Roman Empire and Byzantium, and ruins of the Roman Empire. According to his autobiography, Gibbon was inspired to write a history of the fall of Roman Empire during a visit to Rome in 1764. Gibbon's History was a commercial success upon its release, but from its time of publication to today, it has received mixed reviews. According to Gibbon's contemporary critics as well as modern historians, the most significant shortcoming of his History is that its central thesis claims that Rome's adoption of Christianity caused its decline and fall. Modern historians have since disproved Gibbon's idea that Christianity caused the fall of the Roman Empire. Also controversial in this work is Gibbon's criticism of other organized religions such as Judaism and Islam. However, since its publication, reviewers and historians who have taken a more favorable view of Gibbon's History commend his writing style and presentation of the material and note that in Gibbon's time, there were limited resources about ancient Roman history.. Book. Book Condition: Very Good. Binding: Hardcover

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