58 - [SOCIAL HISTORY - BELGIUM] - DE DECKER, Pierre

[SOCIAL HISTORY - BELGIUM] - DE DECKER, Pierre Historical and Critical Studies on Pawnshops in Belgium. Brussels, Société des Beaux-Arts, 1844. In-8°. Black half-calf. Spine with 4 raised bands decorated with a gold fillet. Author and title embossed. Binding defects and paper losses on the covers, scuffing, and worn corners. Stains and foxing on the first and last leaves. Autograph dedication signed by the author to Baron Kervyn de Volkaersbeke First edition of this seminal work on the economic, social, and institutional history of 19th-century Belgium. Written in the spirit of liberal Catholicism and social paternalism characteristic of its author, the statesman Pierre De Decker (1812–1891)—future Prime Minister of Belgium—presents here a rigorous and pioneering analysis of the popular credit system. The work provides an in-depth examination of the historical origins of the Monts-de-Piété (notably the legacy of the institutions founded by Wenceslas Cobergher in the 17th century), their financial organization, their direct impact on the working classes, and their role as a tool for public assistance in combating usury. References: Pirenne, Bibliography of the History of Belgium, 4005. Provenance: from the library of Philippe Kervyn of Volkaersbeke (bookplate)