[HAMILTON, Anthony, 1645?-1719] :

MEMOIRS OF THE LIFE OF COUNT DE GRAMMONT : CONTAINING, IN PARTICULAR, THE AMOROUS INTRIGUES OF THE COURT OF ENGLAND IN THE REIGN OF KING CHARLES II.

London : printed, and are to be sold by J. Round ... W.Taylor ... J. Brown [etc]., 1714. First edition in English of one of the most popular and best-written books of the period - a favourite of both Walpole and Voltaire. Philibert, le Comte de Grammont (1621-1707), gambler and rake, at large in the English court. He would appear to have dictated large portions of the work to his biographer and brother-in-law, the so-styled 'Count' Anthony Hamilton. Grammont had married Hamilton's sister, the brilliant Elizabeth Hamilton ("la belle Hamilton"), in about 1663 and the work, first published at Cologne in 1713, is largely concerned with the court of Charles II at this early Restoration period. The translation from the original French was undertaken by Abel Boyer. Post 8vo. [iv],356pp. Bound in a handsome contemporary armorial sprinkled calf, banded and gilt; a little minor wear; joints repaired and reinforced; some occasional spotting and browning, but a very good copy with an interesting provenance. The covers are boldly stamped with the arms of Lewis Watson, First Earl of Rockingham, Lord Lieutenant of Kent (1655-1724). A slightly later ownership inscription, "Katherine Furnese 1734" is that of his grand-daughter, who subsequently married firstly her cousin, the Second Earl of Rockingham, and secondly Francis, Sixth Baron North. She was thus the stepmother of Lord North, Prime Minister at the time of the American wars. From the library of the historian John Prebble (1915-2001), with his bookplate and typed note on the provenance.

• GBP 350.00 > other currencies
• ordernr.: 17208

• bookseller: Ash Rare Books (GREAT BRITAIN)