THE HISTORY OF IRELAND, ANCIENT AND MODERN, TAKEN FROM THE MOST AUTHENTIC RECORDS, AND DEDICATED TO THE IRISH BRIGADE, WITH A CONTINUATION FROM THE TREATY OF LIMERICK TO THE PRESENT TIME

New York: D. and J. Sadlier & Co, 1868. Revised Edition. Leather-bound. VERY GOOD PLUS. Massively heavy tome (11 pounds) measuring 10 1/2" x 11" in width and height, respectively; Handsomely rebound in black pebbled leather, ruled in bright gilt with compartments containing short title, and authors' names. Easily readable text, in double-column format.

Beige endpapers. Molded boards, a masterwork of floral, Irish Catholic-themed artistry: 5 ¼ in. oval cameo centerpiece featuring Irish heroine and hero with cherub, wolfhound, Irish harp, three-leaf clover-strewn laurels, gravestone marker, all behind a banner announcing "Catholic Emancipation."

Light rubbing to extremities. All edges gilt. Two heavy-duty polished button clasps featuring clover cut-outs, Previous owner's dated inscription to original light-green endpaper (tipped in, post rebacking). Half-title with ornate Irish history-themed border in black-and-white, featuring castles and knights, Christian crosses and four-leaf clovers, fighting banners, etc.

Original title page is a gob-smackingly gorgeous colored lithograph of a downcast Irish lass surrounded by reverent attendant males complete with lyre, obedient wolfhound, each possibly representing different epochs of Ireland's history. Tissue guards protect duotone engraving of Reverend Luke Wadding on verso, fleshed out with a poetry snippet from Moore.

Preface by Patrick O'Kelly, then author's Dedication, Introduction, and Table of Contents listing 51 chapters and two sections -- "Pagan Ireland" and "Christian Ireland," that begin on pp. 25 and 137, respectively.)7 Arrestingly fine black-and-white engravings throughout, all tissue-guarded, of Bryain Boyroymhe, Monarch of Ireland, 1027 a.d.; Florence Conry, Bishop of Tuam, King Brian Boru, St. Bernard, BeJulius II, Gregory XIII, Urban VIII, Olive Plunkett, a trio of Arthur O'Connor, Duke of Leinster, and Earl of Charlemont, then John Sheares, Henry Sheares and Samuel Neilson, Theobald Malheur.

Also, a fetching note written by previous owner regarding a flower taken from the grave of one Aunt Kate Griffin.

Then begins John Mitchel's "continuation" of The History of Ireland . . . ," with xvi [1], 2-640 pp. Else and withal, a monstrous Irish beauty which will take its family pride of place on any bookshelf thus graced. Mac-Geoghegan first published this work at Paris in 1758 and "claims that during the fifty years following the Treaty of Limerick (1691) no fewer than 450,000 Irish soldiers died in the service of France. MacGeoghegan was shut out from access to the manuscript materials of history in Ireland and had to rely chiefly on John Lynch and John Colgan. John Mitchel's 1689 History of Ireland professes to be merely a continuation of MacGeoghegan, though Mitchel is throughout much more of a partisan than MacGeoghegan..." (Wikipedia).