Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain Engraved from Authentic Pictures in the Galleries of the Nobility and the Public Collections of the Country. With Biographical and Historical Memoirs of their Lives and Actions

London: Printed for Harding, Mavor, Lepard, 1823-1835. Cloth. Very Good. 11" by 7.5". Not Stated . A complete set in twelve volumes of Edmund Lodge's collection of portraits of eminent people in British History. A lovely set complete in twelve volumes of Edmund Lodge's elaborate collection of eminent people in British history.Each biographical sketch is accompanied by a portrait of the person of interest.Originally published periodically in parts every other month. Each volume in this set is comprised of four parts each, for a total of twenty biographies per volume. This set contains the history of the country, in memoirs of the most illustrious English nobility and great officers of state. The content is selected from the highest authority and the portraits preserved in the gallery of the nobility, descendants of the people represented, or in the public collections. The illustrations are painted by the likes of Holbein, Rubens, Vandyke, Lely, Kneller, and other great masters. Including biographical sketches of King Henry the Eighth, Sir Walter Scott, Queen Anne Bullen, Sir Nicholas Carew, Francis Bacon, Queen Catharine Parr, Robert Dudley, James Butler, Lord Paget, Francis Drake, and many others.Volume one published in 1823, complete with twenty portraits. Volume two published in 1824, complete with twenty portraits. Volume three, published in 1825, complete with twenty portraits. Volume four, published in 1825, complete with twenty portraits. Volume five, published in 1826, complete with twenty portraits. Lacking the contents list. Volume six, published in 1827, complete with twenty portraits. Volume seven, published in 1827, complete with twenty portraits. Volume eight, published in 1828, complete with twenty portraits. Volume nine, published in 1829, complete with twenty portraits. Volume ten, published in 1830, complete with twenty portraits. Volume eleven, published in 1835, complete with twenty portraits. Lacking the contents list. Volume twelve, published in 1835, complete with twenty portraits. Lacking the contents list. Complete contents lists to each volume can be found at the rear of volume twelve, with a complete collation, and title pages for a rebinding dated 1835 for each volume. In full cloth binding with leather spine labels. Externally very smart with some shelf wear and a slight bumping to the head and tail of the spine and extremities. The cloth to the spine has slightly faded to each volume. With the occasional rubbing to the cloth and the faint minor handling mark. With a slight split to either sides of the spine label to volume nine. The cloth to the spine of volume three is slightly rubbed and creased, with a minor tear. Lacking the spine label to volume one. Minor inscription by a previous owner to the front pastedown of each volume, "D H Cumming." With a minor puncture mark to the rear free endpaper of volume ten. Internally, firmly bound. A minor spotting to the occasional volume to the first and last few leaves particularly as well as to the occasional portrait leaf, as usual due to the type of paper. Otherwise the pages are generally very bright and clean. Collation complete with twenty portraits to each volume. Lacking the contents lists of volumes V, XI, and XII, although a general contents list for each volume can be found to the rear of volume XII. Very Good