The Rise of the Dutch Republic (Three Volumes, Complete)

NY: Harper & Brothers. Very Good with No dust jacket as issued. 1857. Second Printing. Hard Cover. Publisher's full brown cloth, gilt lettering, blind-stamping, and gilt medallion on spines; blind-stamped borders and decoration on covers; fore-edges deckle. Includes detailed Index. John Lothrop Motley (1814 – 1877) was an American author, best known for his two popular histories "The Rise of the Dutch Republic" and "The United Netherlands." He was also a diplomat, who helped to prevent European intervention on the side of the Confederates in the American Civil War. 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, finding the materials at his disposal in the United States inadequate, he went with his wife and children to Europe in 1851. The next five years were spent at Dresden, Brussels, and The Hague in investigation of the archives, which resulted in 1856 in the publication of "The Rise of the Dutch Republic," which became extremely popular. It speedily passed through many editions and was translated into Dutch, French, German, and Russian. This is the 2nd printing of the American first edition, published one year after the first edition was published in London by Chapman and Hall. . Covers mildly rubbed, spines lightly worn at heads and heels, former owner's signature on each ffep, both the front and rear endpapers of each volume have the shadow of a document that had been inserted in each of them them, not affecting any other part of any volume, slight foxing throughout, else near fine; otherwise unmarked, tight, square, and clean. VERY GOOD.. 8vo 8" - 9" tall. 579; 582; 664 pp .