A History of Europe, printed 1689

Hello,

I was hoping someone on this list may be able to help me out about a
rare book. The book appears to be a self published history book,
since the author refers to himself, but never by name and no author is
listed. The book was poorly rebound at some point in the 20th century
by the looks of it. The name of the book is "A Complete History of
Europe: or, a View of the Affairs thereof, Civil and Military: From
the Beginning of the Treaty of Nimeguen, 1676. to the Conclusion of
the Peace at Reswick, 1697" (spelling and punctuation as they appear
in the original).

The date of publication is 1698 (MDCXCVIII). I did an internet search
but was unable to find any references to this book. It is interesting
both becaus of it's age, but primarily because it was published only a
year after the events it recounts. The author includes actual
treaties and correspondence between monarchs. Most likely an attempt
at revisionism, which only makes the book more interesting in my
opinion.

Anyway, this was a gift and mailed to me. I live in a remote region
where I don't have access to a rare book dealer who can help me with
additional information. If anyone has suggestions for how I can find
out more about this treasure, please reply.

Thanks!

snip


What kind of value would assign, Sandy, if you had this in your hypothetical
store?


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com


Well, thanks for the compliment in thinking I might have a clue, Bill, but alas
I don't, really. 17th century books seem to vary in price so much it'd be hard
even to suggest a range. There are 2 or 3 copies of later editions of this title
for sale online at $100-$150, so I'd guess that the first edition, assuming
condition, binding etc are all reasonable, would be more than that; it doesn't
seem to be a common title, certainly. But as I say, I'm really the wrong person
to ask. Maybe someone else here (Nigel B, if he's still reading the list,
possibly?) would have a better idea than me what a late 17th c English book on
contemporary history would sell for retail; regardless of the money, though, it
sounds like a great book to have on the shelf.

Sandy

Like I mentioned, the book was poorly rebound, and overall not in
excellent condition. While I was a bit curious how much it could be
worth, as Sandy said, this is a great one to have and hold on to.
Anyway, it was a gift, so there is no question of letting it go.

I'm not a "knowledgable" collector, just a hobbyist. My criteria for
those I choose to purchase is variable. I like any fine literature,
but apart from that, I usually like books that in some way reflect an
interesting aspect of the time they were written. I began as a
teenager browsing used book stores and have never given it up.

I'm glad I discovered this group as a result of seeking answers about
my latest book and I hope to learn more from you over time.

Thanks!


"William M. Klimon" wrote in message news:w43Pa.1402$EM1.1139@lakeread07...
"Sandy Malcolm" wrote in message
news:3f0c895e$0$19203$afc38c87@britishlibrary...

Anyway, the most informative catalogue record is the Bodleian one, at
http://copac.ac.uk/copac/wzgw?fs=Nex...r=1&id=2707643,
which
says that the author was David Jones, who flourished 1676-1720. Jones was
assigned as the author by "Wing", which is a 3-volume short-title
catalogue of
all the books printed in the British Isles and British America, plus
books in
English printed in other countries, for the period 1641-1700, compiled by
Donald
Wing (hence the name) in the 1940s. Jones (assuming the attribution's
correct)
continued to produce "A compleat history..." annually until 1711. Some of
the
later ones only covered the events of the preceding year, while others
included
the updated contents of the original 1698 volume. The one you have is the
earliest, as far as I can see. Nice gift!



What kind of value would assign, Sandy, if you had this in your hypothetical
store?


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

"Sandy Malcolm" wrote in message
news:3f0f164d$0$8336$afc38c87@britishlibrary...

Well, thanks for the compliment in thinking I might have a clue, Bill, but
alas
I don't, really. 17th century books seem to vary in price so much it'd be
hard
even to suggest a range. There are 2 or 3 copies of later editions of this
title
for sale online at $100-$150, so I'd guess that the first edition,
assuming
condition, binding etc are all reasonable, would be more than that; it
doesn't
seem to be a common title, certainly. But as I say, I'm really the wrong
person
to ask. Maybe someone else here (Nigel B, if he's still reading the list,
possibly?) would have a better idea than me what a late 17th c English
book on
contemporary history would sell for retail; regardless of the money,
though, it
sounds like a great book to have on the shelf.



I know I referred to your "hypothetical store," but retail/resale value is
not the only reason that we (i.e., collectors) should be interested in the
value (price) of our books. I can think of at least three other reasons:

(1) insurance--of course, insurers want an accurate valuation of the
material in question before writing insurance;

(2) security--in the case of theft, e.g., the value of the item, generally
speaking, determines directly the severity of the offense;

(3) taxation--in the case of charitable donations, e.g., the value of
donated books will determine the amount of tax deduction that the donor may
take.


I am not interested in reselling most of the books I own, but these other
issues are concerns for me.


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

I know I referred to your "hypothetical store," but retail/resale value is
not the only reason that we (i.e., collectors) should be interested in the
value (price) of our books. I can think of at least three other reasons:

(1) insurance--of course, insurers want an accurate valuation of the
material in question before writing insurance;

(2) security--in the case of theft, e.g., the value of the item, generally
speaking, determines directly the severity of the offense;

(3) taxation--in the case of charitable donations, e.g., the value of
donated books will determine the amount of tax deduction that the donor may
take.

Well, (3) isn't really an issue in the UK, I don't think, since those kinds of
donations don't in general attract any tax advantages for the donor. There might
be occasional exceptions, eg accepting an illuminated medieval ms in lieu of
death duty on an aristocratic estate, but not as a general rule. I believe this
is one reason that US libraries find it much easier to attract such donations
than UK ones, which I suppose rely more heavily on altruism. In the UK, very
little indeed is tax-deductible.

Sandy

"Sandy Malcolm" wrote in message
news:3f131479$0$18745$afc38c87@britishlibrary...

Well, (3) isn't really an issue in the UK, I don't think, since those
kinds of
donations don't in general attract any tax advantages for the donor. There
might
be occasional exceptions, eg accepting an illuminated medieval ms in lieu
of
death duty on an aristocratic estate, but not as a general rule. I believe
this
is one reason that US libraries find it much easier to attract such
donations
than UK ones, which I suppose rely more heavily on altruism. In the UK,
very
little indeed is tax-deductible.



Yes, that is a bit of a problem. I did a little reading on the subject and
found that, in addition to cash, Inland Revenue will recognize a deduction
for donations of some securities and for donations of inventory by
businesses. So I don't quite understand the reasons for not recognizing
deductions for in-kind donations by individuals--the only issue I see is
valuation but that's what appraisers and standardized valuation tables are
for.


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com