Prescott, William H. History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic (3 volume set). New York: Harper & Brothers, 1852. Tenth Edition. [11092]
Three volumes in black publisher's cloth, blind stamped boards, gilt to spines. 9 1/2 x 6 1/4 inches, all volumes tight. Vol. I. - portrait of Isabella the Catholic, xxvii, 2 plates of signatures, 411 pages, dark foxing; Vol. II. - portrait of Ferdinand the Catholic, xviii, map, portrait of Cardinal Ximenes, 411 pages, light and dark foxing; Vol. III. - portrait of Christopher Columbus, xvi, map, 531 pages plus an 8 pp. publisher's catalogue, light and dark foxing, this volume unopened (top page edges uncut). Good. Hardcover.
William Hickling Prescott (1796-1859), widely recognized by historiographers to be the first American scientific historian. Prescott was one of the most eminent historians of 19th century America. "Prescott’s achievements as a historian and as a literary artist were remarkable. For example, the persistent demand for the Conquest of Mexico has resulted in its publication in 10 languages at least 200 times and that of the Conquest of Peru in 11 languages at least 160 times. He was the first English-speaking historian to reach a wide audience outside the Hispanic world with a history expressing the Spanish point of view. Spaniards, in Prescott’s histories, were often forerunners of progress." - Britannica online.
