A rare first edition of "The History of London from its Foundation by the Romans to the Present Time" by William Maitland and published by Samuel Richardson, London 1739. - see below

800 pages complete, excepting five pages and all of the engraved plates. The remaining illustrations include the Gates of London and the crests of all the London Livery Companies - see scans. The text is in good condition but the original front and back boards are detached as is the title page. 

Page size 10 x 15.5 inches

Great collectors item for the London historian - a complete copy with plates is currently offered for sale on Ebay for $2,858

Note: Mailing costs assume the volume is sent by media mail with tracking

SAMUEL RICHARDSON

Samuel Richardson
1750 portrait by Joseph Highmore
1750 portrait by Joseph Highmore
Born19 August 1689 (baptised)
Mackworth, Derbyshire, England
Died4 July 1761 (aged 71)
Parsons Green, now in London, England, Kingdom of Great Britain
OccupationWriter, printer and publisher
LanguageEnglish
SpouseMartha Wilde, Elizabeth Leake

Samuel Richardson (baptised 19 August 1689 – 4 July 1761[1]) was an English writerand printer known for three epistolary novels: Pamela; or, Virtue Rewarded (1740), Clarissa: Or the History of a Young Lady (1748) and The History of Sir Charles Grandison (1753). He printed almost 500 works, including journals and magazines, working periodically with the London bookseller Andrew Millar.[2] Richardson had been apprenticed to the printer John Wilde, whose daughter Martha he eventually married. All six of their children died in infancy or childbirth, with Martha herself dying in childbirth in 1731. In 1733, he married Elizabeth Leake, daughter of printer John Leake. Together they had six more children, of whom four daughters reached adulthood. Richardson's first novel, Pamela, was penned at the age of 51 and was an instant success. Leading acquaintances included Samuel Johnson and Sarah Fielding, the physician and Behmenist George Cheyne, and the theologian and writer William Law, whose books he printed.[3] At Law's request, Richardson printed some poems by John Byrom.[4] In literature, he rivalled Henry Fielding; the two responded to each other's literary styles.