KARAMZINE Nicolas Lot n° 608

History of the Russian Empire, translated by Mr. St.-Thomas and Mr. Jauffret. Paris, De l'Imprimerie de A. Belin, 1819-1820 [Bossange père, 1823, for volume IX]. 9 volumes in-8, long grain red morocco, gilt roulette wheel, crowned figure in the center, smooth spine decorated, blue moire guards, gilt edges (contemporary binding). First edition of the French translation, dedicated to Alexander I, Emperor of all Russia. A color folding map of Russia and 9 folding genealogical charts of different Russian dynasties. Nicholas Karamzin (1766-1826) was one of the most important Russian historiographers and was a member of the St. Petersburg academy. His monumental History of the Russian Empire, considered to be the best ever published, is the result of several years of research and study in the libraries and monasteries of the Empire; stopped in publication by the death of the author, it traces the history of Russia from its origins to the end of the reign of John IV (Ivan the Terrible) and the advent of the Romanov dynasty. This work, on an unprecedented scale, provided an ideological basis for the government of Alexander I, Napoleon's great adversary, and rewarded its author with an appointment to the Council of State. A precious copy from the library of Marie-Louise, Duchess of Parma, former Empress of the French, bound with her crowned figure. The first nine volumes of the work, alone, of the eleven that appeared from 1819 to 1826. Many freckles. Caps and bits restored in volume IX.