History of Decline and Fall of Roman Empire, Gibbon 1776 - 1788. This six-volume set of “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” was written by Edward Gibbon and published in London by W. Strahan and T. Cadell in the Strand in between 1776 and 1788, and it is followed by three volumes of “Miscellaneous Works of Edward Gibbon, Esquire with Memoirs of His Life and Writings, Composed by Himself, Illustrated from his Letters, with Occasional Notes and Narrative”, written by John Lord Sheffield, in three Volumes and published in London by A. Strahan and T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies (Successor to Mr. Cadell) between 1796 and 1815. The books of the first six volumes are all bound in four double-raised bands with gilt lettering and gilt titles in five compartments on the spine, double gilt-fillet outer borders and a decorated inner border in gilt on the covers, gray-green endpapers with the bookplate of Edw. Lockwood Percival, Bishop’s Hall, Essex on the front paste-down - Edward Lockwood Percival was born in Lambourne, Essex, England about 1765 and died in July 1804 - and they are a complete set that might or might not be first editions. The first editions must have the errata pages in Volumes I, II, III, and VI, and those are present here, as called for. There were only 500 copies of the first edition printed, then the printer increased the order from 500 to 1000 copies, and in the process, certain corrections were made in the first two hundred or so pages of the book in the second 500 copies, and the rest of the text was the same in all 1000 copies. Volume I has a frontis portrait of Edward Gibbon, the title page dated MDCCLXXVI [1776], a four-page Preface (iv - viii), three pages of Contents that cover Chapters I - XVI, a detailed twelve-page Table of Contents of the First Volume, then an Errata page, a large fold-out Map of the Eastern part of the Roman Empire by Tho. Kitchin Senr., Hydrographer to his Majesty, the text runs from B to page 586, with marginalia from the printer, Notes that include a one-page Advertisement and notes in double columns that cover all sixteen chapters (iii - lxxxviii), and all the edges are marbled. Volume II (“Volume the Second”) is dated MDCCLXXXI [1781] on the title page, with seven pages for a Table of Contents that cover Chapters XVII through Chapter XXVI, the text runs from B - page 640, with a map on page 22 showing the Parts of Europe and Asia adjacent to Constantinople, and an Errata page at the rear. Volume III (“Volume the Third”) is also dated MDCCLXXXI [1781] on the title page, with seven pages for a Table of Contents that covers Chapters XXVII through XXXVIII, the text runs from B - page 640, followed by an Errata leaf at the rear. Volume IV (“Volume the Fourth”) is dated MDCCLXXXVIII [1788] on the title page, with an eight page Preface (A - viii), seven pages for a Table of Contents that covers Chapters XXXIX through XLVII, and the text runs from B - page 620. Volume V (“Volume the Fifth”) is dated MDCCLXXXVIII [1788] on the title page, with an eight-page Table of Contents that covers Chapters XLVIII through Chapter LVII, and the text runs from B - page 684. Volume VI (”Volume the Sixth”) is dated MDCCLXXXVIII [1788] on the title page, with nine pages for A Table of Contents that covers Chapters LVIII through LXXI, and the text runs from B - page 646, followed by a General Index that is unpaginated, but 49 pages long, and an Errata page for Vol IV, V, and VI at the end. The first volume of the Miscellaneous Works has five raised bands, six compartments and gilt titles and decorations on the spine, double gilt-fillet borders and a single gilt-fillet border inside the outer border on the front cover, marbled endpapers with the bookplate of Edwrd Lockwood Percival on the front paste-down, a frontis silhouette in black with double black borders, then the title page which is dated MDCCXCVI [1796], nine pages by Lord Sheffield about his deceased friend Edward Gibbon, fourteen pages of Contents for the first Volume, followed by an Errata leaf, the text runs from B through 301, including a Postscript, then an Appendix that runs to page 703. The second volume of the Miscellaneous Works also has five raised bands, six compartments and gilt titles on the spine, the same covers as the first volume and marbled endpapers with the Percival bookplate on the front paste-down, the title page is also dated 1796 in Roman numerals, then four pages of copyright information spelled out by Lord Sheffield, two pages of Contents for the second volume, the text runs to page 495, with marginalia by the printer, then there are Critical Observations on the Design of the Sixth Book of the Aenied that runs to page 550, more text that runs to page 629 on the Vindication of Some Passages in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Chapters of the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a chapter titled “Antiquities of the House of Brunswick” that runs to page 705, an Address that runs to page 717, an Index of the Second Volume that ends at page 726, an Errata page allows the Index, and the last page is about works just published by T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies related to the History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire in six volumes or twelve volumes. The last volume of the Miscellaneous Works also has five raised bands, six compartments and gilt titles on the spine, the same covers as the first two volumes of the set, marbled endpapers with the Percival bookplate, the title page this time is dated 1815 in Arabic numerals, with a frontis portrait of Edward Gibbon, it was printed by C. Roworth in Temple-Bar and T. Davison at Whitefriars. There are eight pages of Contents to the third volume in this set, 167 pages of text in French on ”Memories Sur La Monarche Des Medes”, a section on the House of Brunswick in English that runs to page 220, with a fold-out Genealogy of the Guelphs after page 220, then pages that run from 221 to 230 in English about the character of Brutus, and then back to French about “Nomina, Gentesque Antiquae Italiae” for another 250 pages or so, then more pages in English about Circumnavigating Africa by the Ancients (to page 511), more pages in French about Selections from Mr. Gibbon’s Commonplace Books, Memoranda, &c. to page 529, then back to English again for more about Gibbon’s other Commonplace books - this is like whiplash in English and French - to page 552, followed by an Index Expurgatorius that runs to 574, an Alphabetical list of various authors, two pages of Remarks on Blackstone’s Commentaries, Notes written by Gibbons before he died on Greek and Roman Classics that run to page 680, with some uncut pages, a page about Gibbon’s remains, an Index to the third volume at the end, for a total of 691 pages in this last volume, and Volumes II and III in the Miscellaneous Works have marginalia from the printer. The six volumes of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire have rubbing and wear on the spines, most of the pages and text are clean, with faint brown spots here and there and occasional offset, but the main issue is the detached covers, which can be repaired or rebound, and probably worthwhile with the condition of the pages and text - they are very clean overall, except for the brown spots in Volume II, and they have the Errata pages as called for. Volume I has rubbing on the boards and at the tips, chips on the spine, folds just on the right edge of the fold-out map, very clean pages, text and map, and the rear cover is detached. Volume II has a detached front cover, with clean pages, text, and a map, and there are faint brown spots in the margins on pages 406 - 426 and 433 - 439, 455 - 459, 594 - 597, 616 - 625, and on the Errata page. Volume III has clean pages and text, with a few brown spots here and there. Volume IV has a detached front cover and a couple of brown spots here and there, but again not much. Volume V has some brown spots here and there and on a rear endpaper, some dark spots (printer’s ink?) at the bottom of 651 and hints of soiling at the top of the last page of text, and wear on the edges of the boards. Volume VI has a weak front hinge, with some faint brown spots here and there, small dark spots on page 77, a small tear on the edge of page 127, offset on 251 and a dark spot in the margin on one page. Volume I of Miscellaneous Work has a detached front cover, a handwritten note in the margin on page 38, offset from the portrait of Lord Sheffield on page 118, small corner creases on pages 200 - 209, and just hints of brown spots here and there, but not much. The second volume of Miscellaneous Works is very clean, but the front cover is nearly detached, and the pages and text are very clean, and the third volume of Miscellaneous Works has brown spots on the frontis and title page, offset from the frontis portrait, and generally very clean pages and text. The books in the first six volumes are all 4to. and measure 11 1/2 x 9 3/8 in. wide and have tight bindings for the pages, generally clean pages and text, and the covers need to be rebound or replaced. The three Miscellaneous works are also 4to. and measure 11 1/4 x 8 3/4 in. wide and are also candidates for rebinding. The pages and text are generally clean, with occasional brown spots and offset here and there, but they are absolutely worth it, and the covers need to be rebound or replaced as well. Edward Gibbon (1737 - 1794) was an English essayist, historian, and politician. This, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, was his most important work and was published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, and it was noteworthy for its criticism of organized religion. The books traced the history of Western civilization and the Islamic and Mongolian conquests, from the height of the Roman Empire to the fall of Byzantium in the fifteenth century, and they cover early Roman history, early Christianity, the history of Europe, and the decline of the Roman empire after the invasion of foreign barbarians about 400 years after the birth of Christ. So a total of nine volumes in all. We do not know enough about the corrections that were made in the second state of the first edition for the six volumes, and we don’t want to presume, so we cannot guarantee the books are first editions or even first editions in the second state, but we’ve started the bidding low enough for you to get in on the ground floor. As is. First editions of the six-volume set in good condition go for $10,000 to $52,000, according to the rare book website we use, and the Lord Sheffield books have some value, but not as much as the six volumes written by Gibbon himself. #254 #1704