The history of ancient Greece, its colonies, and conquests; from the earliest accounts till the division of the Macedonian Empire in the east. Including the History of Literature, Philosophy, and the Fine Arts. In two volumes [the Berzunza copy] by GILLIES, John (1747-1836) - 1786

London: printed for A. Strahan; and T. Cadell, in the Strand, 1786. First Edition. Full Calf. Fine. First Edition, from the Julio Berzunza Collection of Alexander the Great. Complete in two volumes. Demy 4to (273 x 201mm): xvi,684; viii,718,[30]pp, with two copper-engraved folding maps ("The Western Division of the Grecian Colonies and Conquests" and "The Eastern Division of the Grecian Colonies and Conquests"). Uniformly bound in period full tree calf, gilt-tooled spines in six compartments, red and olive-green morocco lettering pieces, blue silk page markers, marbled end papers. An excellent wide-margined set, securely bound (boards of vol. 2 a bit bowed), fresh and bright throughout with maps in rich impressions. Provenance: Julio Berzunza, with his bookplate to front paste-downs. ESTC Citation No. T99924. Moss, p. 175. Gillies constructed his narrative of classical Greek history from ancient literary sources, but with a strong monarchist bias. See opening lines of his dedication to the King: "The history of Greece exposes the dangerous turbulence of Democracy, and arraigns the despotism of Tyrants. By describing the incurable evils inherent in every form of Republican policy, it evinces the inestimable benefits, resulting to Liberty itself, from the lawful dominion of hereditary Kings, and the steady operation of well-regulated Monarchy." The "revolution in ancient history brought about by source analysis, epigraphy, and archaeology, together with changes in literary taste, brought total oblivion to both books and their author." (ODNB) In the 1920s, Berzunza began amassing a comprehensive collection of Alexandriana, totaling nearly 1000 books, including manuscripts, maps, engravings, and artifacts, forming the basis for his landmark work, A tentative classification of books, pamphlets, and pictures concerning Alexander the Great and the Alexander romances, from the collection of Julio Berzunza. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).