Description
First American edition of History of Napoleon by M. Laurent de l’Ardèche, published in 1842 by D. Appleton and Company of New York.
Octavo, [two volumes], vi, 530pp; vi, 394pp, [48pp appendix]. Half tan calf, marbled boards, title in gilt on spine over red and green labels, raised bands with decorative gilt compartments. All edges gilt. Marbled endpapers. Bound by Asprey. Frontispiece portrait in each volume, with tissue cover. Solid hinges, clean text block. Free of any marks or ownership notations. A fine set, complete with hundreds of illustrations.
A complete biography of Napoleon, spanning his entire life, including commentary on the Sir Hudson Lowe controversy. First published in Paris in 1839 by J.J. Dubochet et Cie, under the title Histoire de L’Empereur Napoleon. The author of this work, Paul-Mathieu Laurent, known as Laurent de l’Ardèche, was a respected Napoleon scholar and author. The work was translated into English in 1840, with translated copies appearing in London the same year.