Edward Gibbon (1737-1794)
Edward Gibbon was born the son of a member of parliament, and spent much of his childhood in Putney, Surrey. After an unhappy stint within the walls of Magdalen College, Oxford, he was sent by his father to study under a private tutor in Switzerland. He was to spend much time throughout his life at Lausanne, although it was while back in England that he began writing his seminal work.
The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, a major literary achievement of the Eighteenth Century, was Edward Gibbon's seminal work. Taking up the majority of his writing career, publication was a gradual process.
Volume I was published in 1776, and had a remarkable five printings. Volumes II & III were printed in 1781, and then Volumes IV-VI in 1788. The original Volumes were not published together, but as quartos, a common publishing practice.
The edition presented here is dated 1789, and appears authentic in this respect. This particular set, though, has been re-bound in more modern times, and handwritten anotations have been trimmed in the process (some traces can still be observed). Printed by Basil for J.L. Legrand, this is Labeled as a `New Edition`, and has been redistributed into 14 volumes.
Perhaps the chronology might indicate that this set was one of the first editions published in its entirety, rather than volume by volume. If anyone can provide clarification on this, do e-mail me (see the `About the Author` page for my address).
Some useful reading material about Gibbon's work:
Jordan, David P. Gibbon and his Roman Empire. Chicago:
University of Illinois Press, 1971.
Woomersley, David. The Transformation of The Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
1988.