Chesterfield's Letters: Letters Written by the Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, to His Son, Philip Stanhope, Esq.

This is a handsome, antique set of "CHESTERFIELD'S LETTERS ~ Letters Written by the Late Right Honourable Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield, to His Son, Philip Stanhope, Esq." 1804; J. Nichols and Son; London. Complete set in four volumes. Nicely bound in full leather with gilt lettering and decorations on the spines, marbled end papers, gilt borders along the perimeter of the covers, and gilt decorations along the edges of the boards. There is an Index at the back of volume IV.

From the Advertisement: "It is well known that the late Earl of Chesterfield had a natural Son, whom he loved with the most unbounded affection, and whose Education was, for many years, the chief engagement of his life. After furnishing him with the most valuable treasures of ancient and modern Learning, to those acquisitions he was desirous of adding that knowledge of Men, and Things, which he himself had acquired by long and great experience. With this view were written the following Letters; which, the Reader will observe, begin with those dawnings of instruction adapted to the capacity of a Boy, and rising gradually by precepts and monitions, calculated to direct and guard the incautious Youth, finish with the advice and knowledge requisite to form the Man, ambitious to shine as an accomplished Courtier, an Orator in the Senate, or a Minister at foreign Courts."

Condition:
Overall the set is in Very Good+ condition. The primary condition issue with the volumes is that there is some fading/rubbing to the leather on the covers. All volumes are tightly bound with no cracks and no loose pages. All covers are firmly attached - none are shaky. Nice interiors - the pages are clean with only some occasional mild foxing. There is a vertical scuff line to the title label on the spine of volume IV.