Memoires de la vie du comte de Grammont: Contenant particulierement l'histoire amoureuse de la cour d'Angleterre sous le regne de Charles II.

[HAMILTON, Anthony]. Mémoires de la vie du comte de Grammont; contenant particuliérement l'histoire amoureuse de la cour d'Angleterre sous le règne de Charles II. 12mo, ca. 1854 orange levant morocco by Trautz-Bauzonnet [ca. 1854], spine in 6 compartments, with monogram [of le comte de Lurde] repeated 4 times, surrounded by four crowns each in side corners of front and rear panels, marbled end papers, inner gilt dentelles, title in red and black, with woodcut vignette, pp. [4], 426, [2], a.e.g. Cologne: Chez Pierre Marteau, 1713.

Fine copy of the First Edition, in the scarce first printing, of three the same year, with height of the type on p. 157 measuring 133mm, and better printed than the other two. Posthumously published memoirs of the licentious French nobleman Count Philibert de Grammont (1621-1707), who fled France in 1662 after seducing one of Louis XVI's favorite mistresses, soon finding a home in England at the court of Charles II. Written by his brother-in-law, Anthony Hamilton (ca. 1645-1719), English Catholic soldier and writer who fought in French service and then in the Irish army. "The book is the most entertaining of contemporary memoirs, and in no other book is there a description so vivid, truthful, and graceful of the licentious court of Charles II."-Wikipedia. "The result is a brilliant picture of the court of Charles II, of that pleasure-seeking king and the beauties and fascinations of his mistresses. There are many other scandalous tales as well, involving the Duke of Buckingham, Lord and Lady Chesterfield, Grammont himself, and other celebrities. In spirit and style the work is wholly French—a long succession of witty, malicious gossip…the memoirs are perennially interesting."-Bartleyby.com. This copy from the library of, and bound for, Alexandre Louis Thomas, comte de Lurde (1800-1872), French nobleman and diplomat; chargés d'affaires to the French ambassador to the Holy See (1838-1838); ambassador of France to the German Confederation, 1851-1853, etc., offered for sale in Librairie Giraud-Badin, Bulletin de bibliophile et du bibliothécaire (1875), #303, where the binding is dated as above. With the Hoe bookplate, and listed in Catalogue of the Library of Robert Hoe of New York, Part I (1911), #1612 [not identified as being from the library of comte de Lurde]. Bookplate of Ormond G. Smith (1860-1933), co-founder, and president of Street & Smith publishing company. Fine copy, with just a touch of darkening at the joints. Petit, Editions Originales, p. 478. Brunet III, 29. Tchemerzine VI, 172.