GRONOW, Rees Howell.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

The Reminiscences and Recollections, Being the Anecdotes of the Camp, Court, Clubs and Society 1810-1860. Limited edition, number 539 of 870 copies, this finely bound set extra-illustrated with over 200 additional plates. Published in 4 parts between 1861 and 1866, the memoirs offer a first-hand account of early 19th-century Europe both through a social lens and some of the most momentous events of the era, such as Waterloo and Napoleon III's coup d'état of 1851.Gronow (1794-1865) attempted military and political careers before he indulged in life as a dandy in London and Paris. While his personal narrative is reliable, "his second-hand stories and anecdotes of persons whom he did not know, while almost unfailingly entertaining, are ben trovato rather than historically accurate" (ODNB).

Found via Rare Books Intel, a search across rare-book dealers, auction houses and marketplaces worldwide.