Reminiscences Ancestral, Anecdotal and Historic by Sir Bernard Burke, c. 1880

"Reminiscences Ancestral, Anecdotal and Historic. A Remodelled and Revised Edition of 'The Rise of Great Families and Other Essays'" by Sir Bernard Burke, published in London by Longmans, Green, and Co., c. 1880. This presentation copy offers a fascinating collection of ancestral, anecdotal, and historical material concerning notable British families, genealogy, aristocracy, and heritage. Particularly noteworthy is its presentation provenance: the book was inscribed by Sir Bernard Burke to Lord Archibald Campbell.

Octavo (5.5" x 8.125"), 380 pages. Bound in full navy cloth over beveled boards, with a blindstamp rule framing the boards and a large gilt armorial device centered on the upper cover. The spine is sun-darkened with slightly faded gilt lettering. Yellow endpapers. There is edgewear, with bumped and rubbed corners showing through to the boards. The boards are somewhat soiled and rubbed in places. The head and foot of the spine are chipped and frayed with some loss; there are closed tears at the foot of the rear joint and head of the upper joint, with hinges starting and mesh visible at the front hinge.

The upper pastedown bears a prior owner's name in ink along with a small square stamp for Bertrand Smith's “Acres of Books.” The verso of the first free endpaper bears the presentation inscription: “Lord Archibald Campbell, With my best compts, Sir Bernard Burke, Ulster.” The title page and preliminaries show toning and offsetting, with light foxing to the final few leaves of the text block.

A particularly interesting presentation copy with notable provenance, appealing to collectors of Bernard Burke, British genealogy, aristocratic families, heraldry, and Scottish and British history.