When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
David Hume’s History of England — Complete Six-Volume Antique Set
Harper & Brothers, New York • Undated, Circa 1880 • Matching Decorative Green Cloth
An Entire Kingdom’s Turbulent Past, Bound in Green and Gold
Roman invaders cross into Britain. Rival dynasties struggle for the crown. Kings clash with the church, religious allegiance becomes a matter of life and death, and a nation descends into civil war before putting its own monarch on trial.
Across these six volumes unfolds the extraordinary story of England—from the invasion of Julius Caesar through the fall of James II in 1688—told by David Hume, one of the great intellectual figures of the Scottish Enlightenment.
Offered here is a complete matching six-volume Harper & Brothers edition, preserved in richly decorated green cloth with striking gilt spine lettering and ornament. Together, the books form a handsome antique library set with both substantial reading interest and exceptional visual appeal.
These are books that invite you to pull up a chair. The centuries inside them were considerably less comfortable.
The Author: One of the Enlightenment’s Great Minds
David Hume (1711–1776) occupies an enduring place in the history of philosophy and historical writing. His investigations into knowledge, belief, morality, and human motivation helped shape the intellectual debates of the modern world.
His History of England brings that same interest in human nature to the historical stage. Ambition, fear, religious conviction, loyalty, pride, and the struggle for authority drive its narrative.
Hume examines rulers as people whose choices carry immense consequences. He considers the institutions around them, the factions opposing them, and the circumstances that make their power possible.
For readers interested in the relationship between history and political thought, this is a particularly compelling work: a sweeping national history written by a philosopher deeply concerned with how people think and act.
What Lies Within
The work spans nearly eighteen centuries, moving from ancient Britain through the medieval monarchy, the Tudor age, and the upheavals of the seventeenth century.
Its subjects include:
Roman Britain and the early inhabitants of the island.
Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and the formation of the English monarchy.
The Norman Conquest and the transformation of English society.
Medieval kingship, feudal power, and struggles between crown and church.
Magna Carta and conflicts over royal authority.
Dynastic warfare and the rise of the Tudors.
Henry VIII and the English Reformation.
The reigns of Mary and Elizabeth.
The Stuart monarchy and the growing conflict with Parliament.
Civil war, the execution of Charles I, and the Commonwealth.
The Restoration and the events culminating in the departure of James II in 1688.
The result is an expansive account of conquest, succession, religion, rebellion, and the gradual development of England’s political institutions.
A History That Provoked Debate
Hume’s historical judgments were controversial. His treatment of royal authority, political factions, and religious enthusiasm challenged readers who expected history to confirm their own loyalties.
That tension remains part of the work’s interest. These volumes preserve the voice and interpretations of an eighteenth-century thinker examining the forces that shaped his world.
They offer two historical perspectives at once: the long story of England itself, and the Enlightenment’s attempt to understand that story through human motives, institutions, and consequences.
Beautiful Matching Victorian Bindings
The six volumes retain matching green cloth covers with elaborate black stamped decoration and richly ornamented gilt spines.
The spine designs combine bold titles and Roman volume numerals with an arrangement of armor, weapons, and foliage. The covers feature a mounted figure within a circular seal design, accompanied by banners, leafy branches, and heraldic shields.
The imagery suits the contents beautifully. Before a page is opened, the bindings announce a world of monarchy, warfare, heraldry, and national history.
Displayed together, the repeated gilt designs create an especially attractive run across the shelf. The green cloth provides a strong background for the gold lettering and ornament, giving the set an unmistakable antique library character.
Edition and Publication Details
Author: David Hume, Esq.
Title: The History of England, from the Invasion of Julius Cæsar to the Abdication of James the Second, 1688.
Publisher: Harper & Brothers, New York.
Imprint address: 329 & 331 Pearl Street, Franklin Square.
Date: Undated; estimated circa 1880.
Edition statement: “A New Edition, with the Author’s Last Corrections and Improvements.”
Volumes: Complete numbered set, I–VI.
Binding: Matching decorative green cloth with black stamped cover designs and gilt spine lettering and ornament.
Volume I includes Hume’s short autobiographical account, introduced as “The Life of David Hume, Esq., Written by Himself.”
Condition
An attractive antique set with all six volumes remaining tightly bound.
Matching green cloth bindings retain strong decorative appeal.
Gilt spine titles and ornament remain bright and readily legible.
Rubbing and wear to corners, edges, and spine ends, with some fraying at the extremities.
Scattered surface scuffs, spotting, and variations in cloth color.
Two volumes show water staining on their rear covers. The staining does not bleed into the interior text pages.
Age toning and scattered foxing are visible on the photographed endpapers and interior leaves.
Previous ownership markings are present, including an ink signature and a small stamp on a photographed preliminary leaf.
The photographed text pages remain clearly readable.
Please examine the photographs for the binding decoration, interior appearance, and disclosed wear.
A Substantial Addition to an Antique Library
A complete matching set of a major historical work, with the added pleasure of beautifully coordinated Victorian bindings.
For the collector of David Hume, British history, Enlightenment literature, or decorative nineteenth-century books, these volumes offer lasting intellectual interest and a particularly handsome presence on the shelf.
