The General History of China. Containing a Geographical, Historical, Chronological, Political and Physical Description of the Empire of China, Chinese-Tartary, Corea and Thibet. Including an Exact and Particular Account of their Customs, Manners, Ceremonies, Religion, Arts and Sciences. The whole adorn'd with Curious Maps, and Variety of Copper Plates. Done from the French of P. Du Halde. The Third Edition Corrected. In 4 Volumes.
Printed in the UK. John Watts. 1741. Third edition. Leather over boards. Set of 4 volumes. Hardcover full leather (brown) over boards. 8vo. Pagination: volume I -- [14], 509 pp; volume II -- [14], 438 pp; volume III -- [14], 496 pp; volume IV -- [14], 428, [1], 429-464 pp. Illustration: 15 b/w engraved plates (10 fold outs), 4 b/w engraved maps (fold outs), and 2 pages of sheet music. Titles pages printed in black and red. Uniform binding (appears original). Six compartment spine with five raised ribs. Short title, author, volume number, and an ornament stamped in gilt on the spine. Double line gilt border on front and back boards. Blind dentelle on the edges of the boards.
General text block conditions: edges darkened, light foxing, very mild age browning, some bleed from the plates. Pages are still bright and easy to read. Volume I has some slight water stain to the lower half of the fore edge but there is no loss/obstruction of the text. Volume IV contains a printer's error; the chapter title page on 381 (Geographical Observations on the Kingdom of Corea) appears to be a reprint from the 1736 first edition by Watts. The head ornament is the same as the first edition which was changed for the second and third, and it is missing the "Vol. IV' underneath the footnotes which both the second and third edition have, but not the first. The correct title page for this edition has been inserted between pages 428 and 429, tipped in with one of the fold out maps, but it is only printed on the recto. Additionally, a large triangle has been carefully cut out of page 381/382, removing a portion of the text. Whether this was done by the printer or not is unknown. A 6 cm enclosed tear that starts at the apex of the triangle has been professionally repaired.
General condition of the bindings: the boards are rubbed, bumped, and worn with some of the gilt borders rubbed off. Spines slightly darkened. Leather is still supple, and the books open easy and do not flake excessively when handled. Sewn binding is strong and square.
Overall condition of the set: good, approaching very good if not for the damage done to volume IV. Good. Item #67371
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