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London: John Murray, 1818. First Edition. Two volumes in a full leather binding, repaired to the spines with the original labels applied. With a dedication to the top of the title page: From the Author to W. Wilberforce Esq, whom he has long had the happiness to reckon among the best & most intimate of his friends . At the top of the title page of Vol II is W Wilberforce s signature. Provenance: with the book plate of J Cresswell and the book stamp of James Holding to the front paste down of both volumes. Wilberforce and Banke were contemporaries in Parliament with Banke representing a constituency in Dorset and Wilberforce representing various constituencies of Yorkshire. He also may have been a contemporary of Wilberforce s at Cambridge University (different colleges, graduating in 1778, Wilberforce in 1781). Henry Bankes (1757 1834) was an English politician and author. After leaving Cambridge he sat for the close borough of Corfe Castle from 1780 to 1826; in the latter year he was elected for the county of Dorset, and re-elected in the general election in the same year, but was rejected after a severe contest in 1830. In politics he was a conservative; he gave a general support to Prime Minister Pitt, but preserved his independence. He took an active but not a leading part in nearly every debate of his time, and closely attended to all parliamentary duties. William Wilberforce (1759 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming an independent Member of Parliament (MP) for Yorkshire (1784 1812). In 1785, he became an evangelical Christian, which resulted in major changes to his lifestyle and a lifelong concern for reform. In 1787, he came into contact with Thomas Clarkson and a group of anti-slave-trade activists, including Granville Sharp, Hannah More and Charles Middleton. They persuaded Wilberforce to take on the cause of abolition, and he soon became one of the leading English abolitionists. He headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for twenty years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1807. In October 1776, at the age of 17, Wilberforce went up to St John's College, Cambridge. The deaths of his grandfather and uncle in 1777 had left him independently wealthy and as a result he had little inclination or need to apply himself to serious study. Instead he immersed himself in the social round of student life and pursued a hedonistic lifestyle, enjoying cards, gambling and late-night drinking sessions although he found the excesses of some of his fellow students distasteful. Witty, generous and an excellent conversationalist, Wilberforce was a popular figure. He made many friends including the more studious future Prime Minister William Pitt. Despite his lifestyle and lack of interest in studying, he managed to pass his examinations and was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1781 and a Master of Arts degree in 1788. Approximately 11 ¼ inches tall. Condition Report Externally Spine good condition new spine in full calf with the original labels in compartments 2 and 4, five gilt raised bands and gilt bordered compartments. Joints good condition secure, repaired, a little darker where the new leather meets the old. Corners good condition rubbed, bumped and worn. Boards good condition original full calf boards, marked and worn, darkened to the top of the front board of Vol II. Page edges good condition slightly darkened to the top edge, tanned and foxed. See above and photos. Internally Hinges good condition all secure, repaired with new paper to the hinges. Paste downs good condition two ownership marks to the front free end papers, rear end papers tanned and foxed. End papers good condition tanned and foxed, remains of pencil handwriting to th.
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