The History of Great Britain during the Reign of Queen Anne. With a Dissertation concerning the Danger of the Protestant Succession; And an Appendix, containing Original Papers

London: Printed for A. Strahan; and T. Cadell Jun. and W. Davies..., 1798. FIRST AND ONLY EDITION. 4to, 215 x 177 mms., pp. iv, [vi] - xvii [xviii Errata], 674 [675 - 676 adverts], recently recased in quarter calf, morocco label, marbled boards; title-page soiled and creased, ex-library with handwritten library ownership on first page of text. The erratic pagination is a printing error. Thomas Somerville (1741 - 1830) began collecting materials for his historical works in 1782, and this volume was preceded by his History of Political Transactions and of Parties from the Restoration of King Charles II to the Death of King William III (1792). A native of Hawick, Roxburghshire, he received a honorary D. D. from St. Andrews in 1793 and was also elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. He was also the author of My Own Life and Times, first published in 1861, and an invaluable guide to intellectual and literary life in Edinburgh in the latter part of the 18th century. The Critical Review in January, 1789, reviewed it at length, noting that "the literati of North-Britain have acquired a distinguished rank [as historians." Quoting several passages, the review concludes, "The execution of this work will not diminish the reputation which the author had before acquired. It exhibits in disputable marks of great care and attention, and an eager desire of discovering the truth. It displays the requisites of impartiality and moderation, and a regard for that liberty which is consistent with regular government. The style is not free from Scoticisms and inaccuracies; but it is generally precise, and sometimes nervous and dignified, though it has not the splendor of the language of Gibbon or the elegance which adorns pages of Robertson." The Monthly Review noticed the work in 1800, concluding with a modified endorsement: "We have no hesitation in recommending him to the attention of the public, because we have found him intelligent and judicious in his political disquistions, accurate in his facts, and unprejudiced in his representations."