126 - [HISTORY - ENGLISH REVOLUTIONS] - RAGUENET, François (Abbot) / BURNET, Gilbert (Bishop of Salisbury)

[HISTORY - ENGLISH REVOLUTIONS] - RAGUENET, François (Abbot) / BURNET, Gilbert (Bishop of Salisbury) A set of two rare pocket-sized editions in in-12° format, published under false titles or as Dutch counterfeits, offering a comprehensive historical overview of the political and religious upheavals in 17th-century Great Britain: 1. RAGUENET François (Abbé), History of Oliver Cromwell, [Netherlands], Based on the copy printed in Paris by Claude Barbin, 1691. In-12°. Full brown calfskin binding of the period. Spine with 4 raised bands, gilded with floral motifs. Marbled edges. Losses to the spine, split joints, scuffing. Interior fresh. Famous Dutch counterfeit edition, known as the “fake Elzevier,” published on the very same date as the original French edition. The work traces the career of Oliver Cromwell, who overthrew the Stuarts and established the Republic. The illustrations include a frontispiece portrait of Oliver Cromwell engraved on copper and a complete set of 8 plates featuring medallions and inset scenes. References: Willems, *Les Elzevier*, no. 2146 (appendix) 2. BURNET, Gilbert (Bishop of Salisbury), *Bishop Burnet’s History of His Own Time*, London, Printed for the Company of Booksellers, 1725. 2 volumes in-12°. Contemporary full brown calf binding, decorated spines. Marbled edges. A rare clandestine Dutch counterfeit edition in pocket format, printed in The Hague by Thomas Johnson under a false London address. These two volumes constitute the opening (volumes 1 and 2 of the 6-volume complete set) of this famous and scathing firsthand chronicle. The text provides a vivid and passionate account of the reign of James I and the entirety of Charles II’s reign up to 1685, set against the backdrop of the constitutional and religious crises of the British Restoration. References: Willems, no. 1932 (appendix).