An amazing and highly prized absolutely beautiful first edition, 18 volume set published in 1905 by The National Alumni. As such there are 18 volumes recounting recorded history from 5867 BC through to 1872 AD. These books are not just a joy to hold and admire; they make for an incredible reading experience, with some lovely and occasional illustrations, some of which are colored. The content is remarkable for its quality. It is very difficult to find a quality set of these books for sale anywhere, much less one in such good condition; and so the future owner will be very fortunate. Subsequent volumes 19, 20, 21, and 22 were published with certainty in later editions, e.g. 1910 or 1920s editions. This 1905 set may have originally included more volumes, like a 19 and even a 20, for the dates between 1872 to 1905, but they are not included in this set. These books are beautifully made with each individual volume having its own stunning, elegant cloth bindings made to match master book craftsman from the ages. The pages are rough cut on great quality paper with many uncut pages in the style of the old books — a delight for collectors. Condition: Good; in fact truly excellent for age. The structural integrity of all the books are absolutely great. The spines are solid. The bindings are sewn on the top. There is one loose illustration in volume 1 where the binding has loosened but still holds well, and there is some fading on the top cover of volume 6, but by and large this set is as good as it can get for its age. (See all images). Publisher: The National Alumni. 1905. Editor-In-Chief: Rossiter Johnson. Associate Editors: Charles F.Horne, John Rudd. Weight: Average book is 1000g. 17x24x4cm
