The History, Civil and Commercial of the British Colonies in the West Indies.

London: John Stockdale, 1807. An excellent set, bound in decorative full calf, maps and plates are clean.. Edition: Fourth, Binding: Recent gilt calf with contemporary calf boards, spine with 6 compartments with gilt floral designs, red and green morocco labels and text in 2 and 4, gilt date in 6. Edges are tinted red, and endpapers are marbled. , Notes: Sabin 21901: “The plates are by Bartolozzi … ‘Obtain by all means, the history of those islands, by Bryan Edwards, the ‘facile princeps’ of writers in his department.’ - Dibdin …”
Bryan Edwards (1743-1800), planter and politician. ONDB “Edwards was a diligent and able writer of West Indian history. Of his literary works, the most important is his two-volume History, Civil and Commercial, of the British Colonies in the West Indies, published in London in 1793. According to Elsa Goveia, its scope is large, providing ‘a complete account of the British islands—their origin and progress, their political system, their inhabitants, customs, institutions, agriculture and commerce’ (Goveia, Historiography, 80-81). Edwards wrote that he attempted: ‘to describe the manners and dispositions of the present inhabitants, as influenced by climate, situation, and other local causes … an account of the African slave trade, some observations on the negro character and genius, and reflections on the system of slavery established in our colonies. (Edwards, History)’ This classic work ran into five editions, was expanded to five volumes in the last edition, which appeared in 1819, and was translated into French, German, Dutch, Portuguese, and Italian (Ragatz, Guide, 164-5).”
, Size: 8vo, Illustration: Volume one has 7 plates and 9 maps, Volume two has 3 plates, Volume three has 2 maps and 1 print; all fold-out except the frontispiece. They depict scenery and life in and around the Caribbean., Volume: Three, References: Sabin 21901; Goveia 80-81; Ragatz 164-5., Pages: Volume 1. P. (4), frontis, title, printer’s imprint, dedication, (1), advertisement v-viii, biography ix-xiv, contents xv-xix, (1), list of plates xxi-xxii, plate description xxiii-xxiv, preface xxv-xlviii, 1-576, (5); Volume 2. P. (3), title, printer’s imprint, contents iii-viii, 1-616, (5); Volume 3. P. (3), title, printer’s imprint, half-title, (1), preface iii-xix, advertisement xx-xxv, contents xxvi-xxx, 1-477 (4)., Category: Book History; Book Americas West Indies;