$3,250
Madrid: D. Joachin Ibarra, 1782. lii, 315. Folio, contemporary red crushed morocco with gilt coat-of-arms of the King of Spain to upper cover and interlacing gilt fillet border, spine tooled in compartments, gilt-lettered green leather spine label, blue silk endpapers. First Spanish edition (first published in Italian), large paper copy, of this significant work on the Spanish conquistadors and settlers in America from the writings of Raynal, Robertson and Las Cases. Las Casas, a Bishop stationed in Cuba, complained of the treatment of the Indians by the Spanish. "The author would have rendered a more important and honourable service to Spaniards if, instead of endeavouring to disculpate them from calumnies, not entirely without foundation, he had manifested to foreigners the useful measures which the Spanish Ministry were taking to remedy the abuses of their colonial government." (Sabin) Light rubbing to boards; manuscript notation to verso half-title and final leaf; otherwise an exceptionally bright copy of this work in very fine binding.
Auctioneer:
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
Date:
2013-08-07