Aloude geschiedenis der Belgen of Nederduitschers. Gent, H. Hoste/C. Annoot-Braekckman, 1849, viii,450pp. bound in an attractive full leather pricebinding (prijsband) with gilt ornaments and gilt title in spine, gilt attribution of the price on front, spickled edges, damage to hinges, most notably to front hinge, price from Willems-fonds/Willemsfonds, founded in 1851 in order to safeguard the use of Vlaams/Nederlands being the Dutch langage in Belgium. The Willemsfonds published books in Dutch and the organisation still exists.Philip, Esquire Blommaert (Ghent, 24 August 1809 - 14 August 1871) was a Belgian writer. He earned his living as a private scholar and was a friend and comrade of Hendrik Conscience with whom he promoted the use of Dutch in Belgium. His most famous work was the Aloude geschiedenis der Belgen of Nederduitschers (Ghent 1849), where he gave his opinion that the Low German areas are destined, despite their political divisions, to the fulfillment of a high cultural-historical idea. The book in connection with the pricebinding is a monument to the movement in favour of Dutch in Belgium. l Het Willemsfonds is een naar Jan Frans Willems genoemde cultuurvereniging en drukkingsgroep, die op 23 februari 1851 te Gent werd opgericht, ‘willende de nederduitsche tael en letterkunde en al wat haer aengaet krachtdadig ondersteunen en aenmoedigen, ter versterking van den algemeenen nationalen geest in België’, aldus artikel 1 van de toenmalige ‘Grondslagen’