57 - [HISTORY - BELGIUM] - BORGNET, Adolphe - GACHARD, Louis-Prosper

[HISTORY - BELGIUM] - BORGNET, Adolphe - GACHARD, Louis-Prosper A set of three major works on the history and historiography of 19th-century Belgium, comprising: - BORGNET (Adolphe). History of the Belgians at the End of the Eighteenth Century. Brussels, A. Vandale, 1844, 2 volumes. In-8°. Brown half-calf. Spine (thinned) smooth with gilt decoration. Normal wear and foxing. A very rare first edition, sought after for its valuable documentary appendices and original supporting documents, which were omitted by the author in the 1861 reprint. A rigorous analysis of the end of Austrian rule, the uprisings, and the Brabant Revolution. References: Pirenne, 2153—BORGNET (Adolphe). Philip II and Belgium. A Political Summary of the History of the Belgian Revolution of the 16th Century (1555–1598). Brussels: Meline, Cans & Co., 1850. In-8°. Brown glazed half-calf. Spine with 4 raised bands adorned with a gold fillet. Author’s label and title in black glazed calf. Foxing. First edition in the form of a separate monograph. A groundbreaking study of the conflictual relations between the Spanish sovereign and the Belgian provinces, covering the mechanisms of the Revolt of the Netherlands, religious reciprocity, and the Eighty Years’ War. References: Pirenne, 2293. - GACHARD (Louis-Prosper). Collection of Unpublished Documents Concerning the History of Belgium. Brussels, Louis Hauman et Comp., 1833–1834, 2 volumes (of 3). In-8°. Half-light calf. Spine with 4 raised bands decorated with gilt motifs. Title and volume labels in black glazed calfskin. Author’s name in gilt. Marbled edges. Normal wear and tear. Foxing. First edition of this seminal collection published in the aftermath of Independence. Appointed General Archivist of the Kingdom, the author undertook here the first scholarly inventory and transcription of the country’s most valuable archival documents (14th–18th centuries), including fundamental entries on the archives of Tournai, Bruges, Saint-Trond, Antwerp, and Mechelen, as well as on the Burgundian and Spanish periods. References: Graesse, III, 3; De Reume, p. 84. A set of 5 volumes. Provenance: from the library of Philippe Kervyn of Volkaersbeke (ex-libris)