Visits and sketches at home and abroad. With tales and miscellanies now first collected, and a new edition of the “diary of an ennuyée.”
New York: Harper & Brothers, 1834. 12 mo. ii, [7]- 304 (complete despite the odd pagination); iv, 271 pp. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION. Without front endpapers. Cloth, rebacked, covers rubbed and bumped; light foxing and staining throughout. Ownership signature of Martha W. Lawrence dated 1851 on the title of each volume. Item #15058
First American edition. The first volume contains sketches of art, literature, and character from the author’s travels in Europe (mostly in Germany), including a sketch of the British actress Fanny Kemble in the role of Juliet. The second volume is a compilation of short stories followed by a diary of travel in the great cities of Italy.
Jameson (1794-1860), originally from Ireland but raised in England, was adept at narration that at once excited the reader’s imagination but maintained a sensitivity toward gender differences. Her first book was published after she broke off an early engagement of marriage, and accompanied a young pupil to Italy, writing in a fictitious character a narrative of what she saw and did. She gave this diary to John Colburn, who ultimately published it as The diary of an ennuyée (1826), which attracted much attention. She went on to write about the women of Shakespeare (Characteristics of women, 1832) as well as private art collections and a volume of essays, The house of Titian (1846), probably her best known work. Her first visit to Germany in 1833 led to the publication of this book, which includes an update to her first work.
Price: $250.00