Smith, William

HISTORY OF CANADA; FROM ITS FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE PEACE OF 1763 [with] HISTORY OF CANADA; FROM ITS FIRST DISCOVERY TO THE YEAR 1791 [Two volumes]

Quebec: Printed for the Author, by John Nielson, 1815. First Edition. Octavos, 2 volumes. In Very Good condition. Rebacked in half brown leather with marbled paper boards and black leather corners preserved, gilt stamping and lettering to spine. Some general light rubbing and wear, upper fore corner of front board of volume one chipped off. Embossed stamp to title pages. Volume 1: [6], iii, [1], 383, [1], 72 pages. Volume 2: [2], 235. Shelved case 9.

1374053

Shelved Dupont Bookstore

Price: $1,500

NOTES

Sabin 84701. Gagnon 3337. Church 1312.

Church: "The first volume covers a period from 1492 to 1763, and the second carries the narrative down to 1791. From the ending of the second volume, "End of the Second Volume," it has been taken as an indication that the work was not complete."

Sabin: "The date 1815 appears on the titles of both volumes but an examination of that in the first volume gives evidence of an erasure under the number 5, which is also out of line with the rest of the date. Moreover the impression of the figure 5 is found on a few succeeding leaves showing that it was put in with single type after the book had been folded. Probably the title-page had originally been printed with the date 1812 or one of the other years previous to 1815...The history was unpopular with the French Canadians, see La Terrière's "Political and Historical Account," 1830, p. 214, which speaks of its being well compiled but prejudiced."