Secret History of the Court and Cabinet of St. Cloud, 1806.
In a series of letters from a resident in Paris to a nobleman in London...(1806).
Stewarton. Goldsmith, Lewis.
Written shortly after Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself Emperor of France, this book reveals an intimate portrait of the life of those sharing Napoleon’s inner circle. Whether revealing witty conversations between adversaries, descriptions of contemporary methods of torture, or the activities of the court spies and what this revealed about everything from political intrigues to romantic dalliances, this title was an absolute bestseller. This represents the first American edition.
The construction and condition of this book– half leather binding with green covers and missing spine, is quite identical to many of the Bard family books currently in the collection, most of them bearing William’s bookplate, as this one does. Like the others, this bears the binder’s label of Charles A. Focke, of 32 Ann-Street, N.Y. An additional bookplate indicates that John Bard Esq. gave this title to St. Stephen’s College.
Conservation Treatment
Measurements: 8 5/8 x 5 3/8 x 1/1/8 in.
Half-leather binding with cloth sides; majority of spine missing; damaged corners
Treatment: Dry cleaning of textblock, leather rebacking, including the consolidation and refurbishment of leather spine and corners; rebuild and recover damaged board corners; new label. Protective polyester wrapper and custom corrugated box.
Cost: $1,000