Madam Jumel : America's Most Beautiful, Fascinating and Glamorous Woman

Jamestown, Virginia: Magna Carta Press , 1965. 6" wide by 9" tall. Tight, square, unmarked copy. Flat spine. No creases. Pages are fresh and clean. Not price clipped (1.95). No remainder mark. No store stamp, owner's name or bookplate. No underlining. No highlighting. No margin notes. Historical novel based on the life of the infamous gold-digger, Eliza Betsey Bowen (1769? - 1865). Eliza's mother, a prostitute, died at sea while giving birth to her. Soon her father, the sailor John Bowen, disappeared and Eliza was adopted by Mrs. Thompson of Newport, Rhode Island. By 1790, Eliza was pregnant and unmarried. For ten years, she lived in New York with the Frenchman, Jacques de la Croix. In 1804, Madame la Croix married the wealthy French coffee and wine merchant, Stephen Jumel. In 1810 they purchased a Washington Heights mansion, formerly the Revolutionary War headquarters of General George Washington [during the battle of Long Island in 1776. The mansion is now a museum maintained by the City of New York]. There the Jumels entertained many famous guests including Thomas Jefferson, Dewitt Clinton, Jean Moreau, and Joseph Bonaparte. In 1833, shortly after Stephen Jumel's mysterious death, Madam Jumel married Aaron Burr, the ex-Vice President, who had provided legal assistance with the estate. Within 3 years they were divorced. Original blue wraps. First Printing of the First Edition. Softcover. Near Fine condition. 249pp.