The Commentaries of Caesar, Translated into English. To which is prefixed a Discourse Concerning the Roman Art of War - Caius Julius Caesar, William Duncan 1753 - J. &, London - First Edition The magnificent folio edition of Cæsar's Commentaries, translated and with preliminary matter by William Duncan, with a superb array of 86 copper-engraved plates including six maps, most double-page.

These include the scarce fold-out "Bull" plate (
The Ursus or Buffalo) and The Battle with Elephants. Together with numerous finely engraved battle plans, depictions of the various peoples conquered by Cæsar (Picts, Druids, Gauls, Germans, etc.), maps of the regions occupied, etc.

This is thought by many as the finest edition of Caesar's commentaries in English.
  ‘The ablest Commander of the most warlike People on Earth entertains You with the History of his own Campaigns. You are informed of the Motives which determined him in all his Enterprises, of the various Difficulties he had to encounter, and of the Steps by which in the end he was enabled to surmount all Opposition. In a Word, Prudence in Counsel, Courage and Intrepidity in the Field, a calm Presence of Mind in the midst of Dangers, and an amazing Dexterity in sudden and unforeseen Emergencies, are here exemplified in the Conduct of a Leader, whom all succeeding Ages have agreed to regard as the most finished Pattern of military Merit.’ - William Duncan

Provenance: Armourial plate and stamp of Reverend William Borlase FRS [1696-1772;
Te Digna Sequere] of Zennor Vicarage, Cornwall, a noted antiquarian, geologist and naturalist. educated at Exeter College, Oxford (1713). Later armourial bookplate of Samuel Powell, Esq. [1760-1834; Anima in Amicis Una] of Hammerton Hall, Boroughbridge, York and Brandlesome Hall, Lancashire.

Folio (binding size 43x27cm), pp. [12] civ, 335 [1] [20 (indices)]. The plates are numbered 1 to 86, but with numbers 3 and 4 (i.e. III and IV, opp. plxxix) being on one plate, for the correct complement of 85 plates in all.
  In contemporary full brown calf, spine rebacked to style in mottled calf, tooled in gilt, red title label lettered and ruled in gilt, gilt twin-filet borders to boards, gilt patterned edges, later handmade endpapers, red speckled edges to block (Repair work professionally carried out by Philip Dusel of California, full details included on separate loose sheet within book).   Condition: Near fine, internally sharp, Buffalo plate professionally cleaned (previously was poorly mounted on heavy paper), in near fine restored binding.   Ref: 110679   Price: HK$ 98,000