The History of the Life of King Henry the Second.
London: Sandby and Dodsley, 1767 & 1767; Dodsley, 1771. 3 volume set, 11 1/4 inches tall. A magnificent set with gilt raised bands, remarkable twin labels and ornate gilt tooling to the panels. The 3rd volume, which was printed a few years later has variations to the binding, in particular the labels and more conventional end papers, contrasting with the continental blue wavy paper used in the first 2 volumes. Volume I contains a prefix, being 'The History of the Revolutions of England from the Death of Edward the Confessor to the Birth of Henry II' and Book I with notes and appendix. Volume II contains Book II and Book III with notes, appendix and index. Volume III contains Book IV, 'The Last Book' (Book V) and notes, appendix, index and errata. With the martial bookplate of Vane Londonderry, From the library of Charles William Vane (formerly Stewart), third Marquess of Londonderry. Vane served with distinction throughout the Peninsula War. His dashing and dandified portrait by Sir Thomas Lawrence is at the National Portrait Gallery. He amassed magnificent libraries in his various Country Houses. There is some sporadic foxing, scuffing and rubbing and the top corner of the upper board of Volume I has been bumped with some loss of leather. Lord George Lyttleton was an English statesman, author and landscape gardener. He was a friend and supporter of Alexander Pope in the 1730s and of Henry Fielding in the 1750s; the latter dedicated his greatest novel Tom Jones to Lyttelton.