62 - [HISTORY - BRUSSELS] - HENNE, Alexandre & WAUTERS, Alphonse

[HISTORY - BRUSSELS] - HENNE, Alexandre & WAUTERS, Alphonse History of the City of Brussels Brussels, Librairie Encyclopédique de Perichon, 1845, 3 volumes Large 8vo. Black glazed half-calf. Spine with 4 raised bands decorated with gold motifs. Authors’ names, title, and volume numbers in gold lettering. Normal wear and scuffed corners. Scattered foxing, mainly on the plates. First edition of this monumental work, considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Belgian local historiography. The result of a collaboration between historian Alexandre Henne (1812–1896) and the city’s great archivist Alphonse Wauters (1817–1898), this historical compendium remains the definitive reference work for the study of the capital’s past. Based on an exhaustive and rigorous examination of the municipal archives, the work traces the political, architectural, economic, and social development of Brussels from its medieval origins through the mid-19th century. The illustrations include numerous inset plates, maps, and views engraved on steel, as well as coats of arms interspersed throughout the text. References: Pirenne, Bibliography of the History of Belgium, 1073. Provenance: from the library of Philippe Kervyn of Volkaersbeke (bookplate)