A HISTORY OF NEW-YORK, FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE WORLD TO THE END OF THE DUTCH DYNASTY, Containing Among many Surprising and Curious Matters, the Unutterable Ponderings of Walter the Doubter, the Disastrous Projects of William the Testy, and the chivalric achievements of Peter the Headstrong, the three Dutch Governors of New Amsterdam; being the only Authentic History of the Times that ever hath been published. The Second Edition with Alterations. By Diedrich Knickerbocker. (2 Volumes).

New York: Inskeep and Bradford / Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep, 1812., 1812. Good. THE RARE SECOND EDITION WITH THE ENGRAVED FRONTISPIECE PORTRAIT OF KNICKERBOCKER BY WILLIAM STRICKLAND - Octavo, 6-1/2 inches high by 4 inches wide. Hardcovers, 2 volumes bound in non-matching full calf titled on maroon labels on the spine. The covers of both volumes are rubbed & scuffed. The leather is splitting along the front joint of the first volume and the front cover of the second volume is detached though present. The pagination of the first volume is as follows: [4], xxii and 270 pages; that of the second volume is: [4] and 248 pages. Illustrated with a portrait frontispiece engraving by William Strickland at the front of the first volume. The portrait is closely cropped with loss to the title, "Knickerbocker". There is some occasional foxing and soiling throughout both volumes. The front endpaper of the second volume is detached, there are paper and paste repairs along the top and front edges of that second volume's title page, without loss of text, and there is a tear and hole to the rear endpaper of that volume. Good. RARE Second Edition complete with the engraved frontispiece portrait of Diedrich Knickerbocker with his walking stick signed "Strickland". Although several institutions have catalogued the second edition as having a folding frontispiece, as was included with the 1809 first edition, Howes [I-83] clearly calls for a portrait plate in the second edition. William Strickland, 1788-1854, is best known as an architect and civil engineer. However as a young man he created illustrations for numerous periodicals and was known as a pioneer in the art of aquatint.…