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CONQUEST. TREASON. PLAGUE. REGICIDE.
Kings are betrayed. Dynasties are extinguished. Queens go to the scaffold. A monarch loses his head—and England somehow survives it all.
Long before history was reduced to timelines and tidy documentaries, philosopher David Hume transformed England’s past into an immense human drama populated by conquering Romans, Saxon warriors, ruthless kings, rebellious nobles, religious zealots, political schemers and condemned monarchs.
Across these six magnificent volumes, empires rise, royal houses collapse, battlefields run red and nearly 1,700 years of ambition, betrayal and bloodshed unfold in extraordinary detail.
THE COMPLETE SIX-VOLUME HISTORY
Offered here is a handsome and complete antique set of:
THE HISTORY OF ENGLAND
From the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Abdication of James the Second, 1688
By David Hume, Esq.
Published in New York by Harper & Brothers, 329 & 331 Pearl Street, Franklin Square.
This undated Harper edition has been bibliographically identified as the 1855 edition.
All six matching volumes—I through VI—are present.
Together they carry Hume’s sweeping narrative from the arrival of Julius Caesar’s legions through the Norman Conquest, Plantagenets, Wars of the Roses, Tudors, English Civil War, execution of Charles I, Restoration and overthrow of James II during the Glorious Revolution of 1688.
HISTORY WITH ITS TEETH STILL IN IT
Within these volumes, the reader encounters:
Julius Caesar’s legions landing on the mysterious shores of ancient Britain
Saxon invasions and the violent struggle for control of the island
William the Conqueror and the bloody Norman transformation of England
The murder of Thomas Becket following his explosive conflict with Henry II
Magna Carta and the barons who forced King John to yield
The brutal downfall and suspected murder of Edward II
The Black Death and its devastation of medieval society
The Hundred Years’ War and England’s campaigns against France
The Wars of the Roses and the destruction of rival royal houses
Richard III, the Princes in the Tower and the rise of Henry Tudor
Henry VIII, his wives and his merciless religious revolution
The imprisonment and execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
Elizabeth I and the defeat of the Spanish Armada
The Gunpowder Plot and conspiracy against James I
The English Civil War and the trial and beheading of Charles I
Oliver Cromwell, the Commonwealth and the collapse of the monarchy
The Restoration and notoriously colorful court of Charles II
The final overthrow and abdication of James II in 1688
This is not merely a succession of dates and battles. Hume examines ambition, corruption, religion, superstition, law, liberty and the dangerous psychology of absolute power.
His kings are not marble statues. They are vain, frightened, calculating, ruthless—and occasionally spectacularly self-destructive.
“IT IS DIFFICULT FOR A MAN TO SPEAK LONG OF HIMSELF WITHOUT VANITY…”
Volume I also includes Hume’s celebrated autobiographical essay, “My Own Life,” written shortly before his death.
He begins with characteristically dry self-awareness:
“It is difficult for a man to speak long of himself without vanity; therefore I shall be short.”
He continues:
“Almost all my life has been spent in literary pursuits and occupations.”
That brief autobiographical account introduces the reader to the man whose history became one of the most influential and fiercely debated accounts of England ever published.
SIX EXTRAORDINARILY ORNATE VICTORIAN BINDINGS
The contents may be full of royal carnage, but the bindings are positively regal.
Each volume retains its rich emerald-green publisher’s cloth binding, lavishly decorated in black and gold.
THE SPINES FEATURE:
Large gilt “Hume’s History of England” lettering
Individual gilt volume numbers, I through VI
Dramatic Anglo-Saxon helmet and spoked-wheel designs
Medieval weapons, flowers, vines and thistle-like ornament
Decorative gilt rules at the head and foot
Harper & Brothers gilt imprint
THE BOARDS FEATURE:
A medieval knight on horseback
Heraldic shields and hanging banners
Oak branches and foliage
Architectural borders and ornamental linework
Detailed black-stamped decoration against deep green cloth
These are genuine mid-19th-century decorative cloth bindings—not modern reprints.
Placed together, the six volumes form a spectacular unified display. They possess exactly the dark, scholarly, old-library presence collectors want from a great Victorian history set.
Put bluntly: these look like books that ought to conceal a castle map, a disputed inheritance or at least one longstanding family curse.
PUBLICATION DETAILS
Author: David Hume
Title: The History of England
Full Scope: From the Invasion of Julius Caesar to the Abdication of James the Second, 1688
Edition Statement: “A New Edition, With the Author’s Last Corrections and Improvements”
Volumes: Complete in Six Volumes
Publisher: Harper & Brothers
Place of Publication: New York
Publisher’s Address: 329 & 331 Pearl Street, Franklin Square
Publication Date: 1855
Binding: Original Decorated Green Publisher’s Cloth
Language: English
ABOUT DAVID HUME
David Hume (1711–1776) was one of the great philosophers of the Scottish Enlightenment. During his own lifetime, however, it was this enormous history—not his philosophical writings—that brought him widespread fame and financial independence.
Originally published in stages during the 18th century, Hume’s history became one of the most widely read accounts of England ever written. It was admired for its literary force while provoking fierce arguments over monarchy, religion, constitutional government and individual liberty.
The work remained a standard history of England for generations and passed through scores of editions.
Few histories can claim to have angered people on nearly every side of the political divide. Hume’s managed it magnificently.
CONDITION
The complete matching six-volume set remains in good antique condition, particularly attractive for books approximately 170 years old.
The emerald-green cloth remains rich and visually striking, with strong gilt lettering and elaborate decoration.
Expected age-related wear includes:
Rubbing along some edges and corners
Varying fraying and wear at the upper spine ends
Age toning to the pages
Scattered foxing and occasional spotting
Browning to the exposed page edges
The books remain upright, handsome and highly displayable. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.
No dust jackets, as issued.
A FORMIDABLE ANTIQUE LIBRARY SET
This is an imposing, remarkably decorative and complete 1855 six-volume set, equally suited to collectors of:
Fine and decorative bindings
Victorian books
English and British history
Political philosophy
Scottish Enlightenment authors
Antique library décor
Medieval and royal history
The six matching volumes make an unforgettable display—but the contents are even better:
Conquest, plague, rebellion, religious upheaval, royal scandal, treason, execution and nearly two millennia of people making catastrophically ambitious decisions.
Sold as one complete six-volume set.
