Memoirs of Marie Antoinette – Campan – 1823 | Fine Leather, 2 Vols

Jeanne Louise Campan’s Memoirs of the Private Life of Marie Antoinette, printed in London in 1823, recounts court life during the French Revolution. This second edition spans two volumes and draws from Campan’s time in royal service. Subjects include Joseph II’s death, the constitution’s acceptance, actions by M. de LaFayette, Louis XVI’s trial, and Mirabeau’s secret contact with the crown. Bound in leather with gilt spine titles and marbled endpapers.

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Memoirs of the Private Life of Marie Antoinette, to which is added Recollections, Sketches, and Anecdotes
• Author(s): Jeanne Louise Campan
• Publisher: London: Henry Colburn and Co., and M. Bossange and Co.
• Edition: Second Edition, 1823.
• Format: Octavo (8vo), two volumes
• Binding: Full leather, gilt spine titles, marbled endpapers
• Size:  8.75 x 5.5 in (22 x 14 cm)
• Collation:
  • Vol I: [6], xlvii, [1], 447, [1] pp
  • Vol II: [8], 462 pp
• Illustrations: Engraved frontispiece in each volume
• Contents Include:
  • Death of Emperor Joseph II
  • Acceptance of the French Constitution
  • Actions of M. de LaFayette
  • Trial of Louis XVI
  • Mirabeau’s Secret Correspondence
• Provenance: Armorial Bookplate of J.P. Brown Westhead, motto: ORA ET LABORA

Condition:

Very Good. Leather shows moderate wear, mainly to rear board of volume one; spines intact with clear gilt. Marbled endpapers clean. Pages complete, lightly toned, with scattered foxing mainly in preliminary and ending leaves. Binding secure in both volumes, with tight textblock.

Why Collect This?

• Personal royal account from Marie Antoinette’s lady-in-waiting
• Includes rare political and court material
• Early 19th-century British printing in leather
• Appeals to collectors of French Revolution or royal biography

Item Number: #28814