Lancashire and Cheshire, Past and Present. A History and Description of the Palatine Counties of Lancaster and Chester...with an Account of the Rise and Progress of Manufactures and Commerce... in Four Volumes.

London: William Mackenzie, c.1869 New edition, extensively revised, combining the two counties: appears to be the first thus. Dated 1869 in introduction in Vol. 4. Four volumes, complete. HB. Original maroon cloth over bevelled boards with extensive gilt and embossed decorations to the front board and spine, blind-stamped to back board. All page edges gilt. Each a substantial large quarto uniform volume 30 x 24cm. 416pp, h: 23.5cms. Each volume has monochrome engravings (including well-known MPs, the two authors and topographical views) in plates after the title page at the start, followed by the text. Vols. 1 and 3 also have an engraved pictorial title page as well as a letterpress title page. The volume numbering on the title pages is eccentric in places (ie wrong!), but the 4 volumes make sense and are consecutive in terms of contents and page numbering. Vol. 1: Numbered as vol. 1 on both title pages and as 'Div. 1' on spine. With 6 engravings in plates at the start (Thomas Baines, Lord Derby and Cobden and 3 views), with guard leaves, then text pp1-352. Begins with topography and natural history, then human history from earliest times to the revolution of 1688, which continues in Vol. 2. . Vol. 2: This has Vol. 1 in error on title page, though Div.2 on spine. With 5 engravings (including Gladstone) at front, then text pp353-712 which continue the human history to the seventeenth century, then contents (index). Vol. 3: This has Vol. 2 in error on both title pages. Again with 5 engravings at start including frontispiece of one of the authors William Fairbairn. The text pp1 to 355, human history from the Restoration 1660 to the 'present, 1868.' (which continues in Vol. 4). Vol. 4: This also has Vol. 2 in error on title page. This has 3 topograhical engravings at the start (including Manchester Town Hall and Exchange Buildings Liverpool), plus 5 more engraved plates of drawings and plans showing Manchester Water works, St George's Pier Liverpool; Barrow Docks; a warship and a Combing Machine. Then the text pp355-464, which concludes the general human history. Then follows Fairbairn's text on the Rise and Progress of Manufactures and Commerce and of Civil and Mechanical Engineering in Lancashire and Cheshire, which has an introduction dated June 1869, and is paginated in Roman numerals from i to cclviii (258) and has 43 engraved illustrations in the text, some of machinery. A Fair set overall. The contents are generally good to very good and all present including plates, mostly well-bound and clean, but the covers of the first two volumes are poor. Vol. 1: boards and spine strip detached but present, and could be rebound- the cloth has browned on this volume as on the others but the gilt decorations are still mostly bright and can be appreciated. Vol. 2: wear to spine ends and spine edges and the front internal hinge split and pulled away from text black at spine but overall binding holding. Some foxing to prelims and plate margins. The last two volumes have better covers and are in Good to VG condition. Vol. 3: Again some cloth fraying to spine but binding firmer; some light foxing to prelims and plate margins; Vol. 4 similar to 3. A nice rebinding/study set.