Robertson - Histoire de l’Amérique - 1780

THE BIRTH OF THE AMERICAS: AND THEIR PLACE IN UNIVERSAL HISTORY
A flagship work of European Enlightenment historiography, William Robertson’s Histoire de l’Amérique represents one of the earliest systematic attempts to interpret the discovery, conquest, and colonization of the American continent as a global historical phenomenon. Originally published in English and quickly translated, the work enjoyed enormous editorial success. In this revised second French edition, Robertson combines documentary rigor, political reflection, and ethnographic attention, offering the European reader an America no longer merely exotic, but inscribed in the great balances of world history.
MARKET VALUE
Complete seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French editions in four volumes of Histoire de l’Amérique regularly appear on the market but remain highly sought after, especially when accompanied by all the folded maps. In conditions similar to the copy described here, with wear but complete iconography, the market value generally ranges between €1,500 and €2,000, with variations tied to the condition of bindings, the freshness of paper, and the preservation of the large geographical maps.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION AND CONDITION
Four volumes. Contemporary half-calf bindings, smooth spines richly ornamented in gold with titles and numbering on the pestles/labels. Second French edition revised and corrected. Five folded copper-engraved plates, of which four are large geographical maps and one a chronological table of the Mexican civilizations. Some abrasions, chafing, wear at the crowning edges and boards; maps with some browning. In old books, with a multigenerational history, a few imperfections may be present, not always noted in the description. Pp. (4); 380; (4). (4); 572; (4). (4); 520; 4nn; (4). (4); 4nn; 434; (4).

FULL TITLE AND AUTHOR
Histoire de l’Amérique.
Paris, Chez Pissot, 1780.
William Robertson.

CONTEXT AND SIGNIFICANCE
Published in the full blaze of the Enlightenment, Robertson’s work marks a decisive turning point in Europe’s perception of America. Conquest is no longer recounted solely as military epic, but as a complex historical process involving institutions, religion, economy, and social structures. Of particular relevance is the attention given to pre-Columbian civilizations, analyzed with a comparative approach that reflects the rational categories of the eighteenth century. The maps and the chronological table reinforce the encyclopedic ambition of the work, transforming the text into a tool of geopolitical as well as historical knowledge.

BIOGRAPHY OF THE AUTHOR
William Robertson was born in Scotland in 1721 and died in 1793. A historian, theologian, and leading intellectual of Scottish Enlightenment, he was Principal of the University of Edinburgh and royal historian. His historical works, devoted to Scotland, Charles V, and America, enjoyed widespread European diffusion and helped define a new model of modern historiography, founded on source criticism, clarity of exposition, and a global vision of history.

PRINTING HISTORY AND CIRCULATION
Histoire de l’Amérique enjoyed enormous international success from the first edition, with numerous reprints and translations. The Paris edition of 1780 represents one of the major seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French versions, aimed at an educated and cosmopolitan readership. The frequent wear of the copies testifies to intense and prolonged use as a reference work.

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND REFERENCES
ICCU/OPAC SBN: French editions of Robertson, Histoire de l’Amérique
BnF, Catalogue général, notices relating to the Pissot editions
WorldCat: Histoire de l’Amérique, Paris 1780
Brunet, Manuel du libraire, s.v. Robertson
Hazard, La pensée européenne au XVIIIe siècle, for the Enlightenment context
Pagden, European Encounters with the New World, critical references on the work