Complete in Three Volumes. Harper & Brothers, 1868.

An attractive three-volume 1868 edition of John Lothrop Motley’s classic historical masterpiece, The Rise of the Dutch Republic: A History, published by Harper & Brothers, New York, in 1868. First published in the 1850s, Motley’s monumental work quickly became the standard English-language history of the Dutch struggle for independence from Spanish rule during the sixteenth century and remains one of the great narrative histories of the Victorian era.

Handsomely bound in contemporary half leather over marbled boards by the noted New York bindery Bradstreet, with the binder’s gilt stamp on the turn-in. Bradstreet was among the finest American bookbinders of the nineteenth century, and signed bindings are increasingly sought by collectors.  

Bradstreet of New York was one of America’s premier commercial and fine binders during the late 19th century. Robert Hoe, the famous collector and bookbinding authority, listed Smith, Bradstreet, and Matthews as the three American binders whose work was most admired by collectors of the era. Surviving Bradstreet-signed bindings are encountered far less often than Bickers, Riviere, or Zaehnsdorf.

John Lothrop Motley (1814–1877), American historian, diplomat, and man of letters, devoted years to researching original European archives before producing this landmark history. Praised for both its scholarship and literary style, The Rise of the Dutch Republic chronicles the political, religious, and military events surrounding the revolt against Spain under William the Silent, laying the foundation for the independent Dutch Republic.

A handsome nineteenth-century leather-bound set that will appeal to collectors of European history, Dutch history, political history, and finely bound antiquarian books.