Rise of the Dutch Republic, A History, Motley 1860’s. This set of books titled “The Rise Of The Dutch Republic, A History” was written by John Lothrop Motley and there’s no publishing date, but it was published in London and New York by George Routledge And Sons between 1866 and 1881, based on the London and New York addresses for George Routledge and Sons at the time. The books are 3/4 bound, with five raised bands, horizontal gilt bands, gilt lettering, and gilt devices on the spine, marbled covers, marbled endpapers, the title pages, which say the books were published by Routledge in London at The Broadway, Ludgate and in New York at 416 Broom Hill, they were printed by Woodfall and Kinder on Milford Lane at the Strand in London, bound by Mudie [Charles Edward Mudie], according to the small stamp at the bottom of the first blank endpaper in each book, and all the edges are marbled. The first volume has a five-page Preface (v - ix), five pages of Contents (xi - xv), and 485 pages of text, the second volume has the title page followed by nine pages of Contents (a2 - xi), and 527 pages of text, and the third volume has the title page, six pages of Contents (a2 - viii), and 481 pages of text, followed by an Index that runs to page 518. Motley (1814- 1877) was an American author and diplomat best known for his works on the Netherlands, especially The Rise of the Dutch Republic. As United States Minister to Austria in the service of the Lincoln administration, Motley helped to prevent European intervention on the side of the Confederates in the American Civil War; later on he served as Minister to the United Kingdom during the administration of Ulysses S, Grant. In 1846, Motley had begun to plan a history of the Netherlands, in particular the period of the United Provinces, and he had already done a large amount of work on this subject when he found the materials at his disposal in the United States inadequate, so he went to Europe with his wife and children in 1851. He spent the next five years at Dresden, Brussels, and the Hague to investigate their archives, and in 1856 The Rise of the Dutch Republic was published. It became very popular and passed through many editions, and it was translated into Dutch, French, German, and Russian. In 1860, Motley published the first two volumes of its sequel, The United Netherlands. This work was on a larger scale and took even more time and research to complete. The books were popular in Britain and the United States as well, and tens of thousands of copies were sold in multiple editions. It was a favorite prize awarded to best students at schools, and one supporter said of Motley, "He and he alone had created a Dutch awareness on a wide scale”. Yet the reception of Motley's work in the Netherlands itself was not wholly favorable because he described the Dutch struggle for independence in a flattering light, which led some to believe he had a biased viewpoint in favor of Protestants and against Catholics. The books are 8vo. and measure 7 x 5 in. wide and are in good condition, with tight bindings and clean pages and text. There are faint brown spots on the title page in Volume I and III and on the endpapers at the rear of Volume I, penciled notes on the blank flyleaf in Volume I, light rubbing on the spines, light wear at the tips and a couple of tips are slightly turned in, light scratches on the spine of the second volume, and the gilt is faded a bit, and that’s pretty much it, and a bargain for this set. First editions go for $100 to $300 and we’re starting this set much lower than that, and an in-depth view of Dutch history up to the 1600’s. (Yes, you have to buy the sequel to go farther.) #199 #1561