"A REBELLION THAT HAD RAGED NEAR TWENTY YEARS, AND BEEN CARRIED ON WITH ALL THE HORRID CIRCUMSTANCES OF MURDER, DEVASTATION, AND PARRICIDE": HOOPER'S REBELLION AND CIVIL WARS IN ENGLAND, 1738 FIRST EDITION, WITH 27 ENGRAVED PLATES

(CHARLES I) HOOPER, Jacob. An Impartial History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England, During the Reign of King Charles the First… London: Printed and Sold by all the Booksellers in Town and Country, 1738. Folio (7-1/2 by 12 inches), period-style full speckled sheep gilt, raised bands, red morocco spine label. $3400.

First edition of Hooper's "impartial" history, profusely illustrated with engraved frontispiece portrait depicting Charles I on horseback and 26 full-page engraved plates, many depicting naval and land battles.

Hooper drew on Clarendon, Kennet, Echard, and Rushworth to compile his history. "Everybody that shall duly consider the whole account of these transactions, will be able to impute mistakes, miscarriages, and faults enough to both sides… But we cannot omit making this one observation, that where any King by ill judgment, or ill fortune, of his own, or those entrusted by him in the chief administration of his government, happen to fall into an interest contrary to that of his people, and will pursue that mistake, that Prince must have terrible conflicts in the course of his reign… On the other hand, that people, who, though invaded and oppressed in their just rights and liberties, shall not rest satisfied with reasonable reparations and securities, but, having got power into their hands, will make unjustifiable use of it, to the utter subversion of that government they are bound in duty and allegiance to support, do but at last make rods for their own backs, and very often bring upon themselves, from other hands, a more severe bondage than that they had shook off" (Preface). Plates bound in at rear. Lowndes, 1109. Discreet library markings on verso of title page only.

Text and plates generally clean, corners rounded, contemporary calf covers rubbed. A very good copy of this illustrated history.