ISBN: 9781566190862 - Secrets of the Gotha: Private Lives of Royal Families of Europe (8 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Fair. First Thus. With dust jacket. The item might be beaten up but readable. May contain markings or highlighting, as well as stains, bent corners, or any other major defect, but the text is not obscured in any way.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Missing dust jacket; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

black & grey 1/2 cloth hardcover 8vo. (octavo). dustwrapper in protective plastic book jacket cover. very good cond. binding square & tight. covers clean. edges clean. faint watermarks(?) to bottom of inside covers near spine, otherwise contents free of markings. dustwrapper in fine cond. not worn or torn or price clipped. nice clean copy. no library markings, store stamps, stickers, bookplates, no names, inking, underlining, remainder markings etc~. first edition. first printing (#1 in # line). b&w map. 392p. index. world history. european history. biography. ~ For this witty account of the European nobility, Ghislain de Diesbach has taken as his inspiration that most illustrious of social registers: the Almanch de Gotha, first published in 1764 and still on the shelves of all who look back with nostalgia upon "that happy period . when the monarchic principle was so firmly anchored in people's minds that it seemed impossible for a country to exist unless there was a sovereign, emperor, king, prince, or grand duke at its head." The author, himself the scion of a princely family, has inherited a clear perspective of the main thoroughfares of history, and a great knowledge of its byways. He approaches his subject with a light touch, even at times with irreverence~for, in his own words~These secrets of the Gotha, whispered to me by the ghosts of long~dead chamberlains, evoke the spirit of an age whose frivolities alone have survived. The inheritance of the duchies of Schleswig or Holstein no longer vexes the world at large; but the fate of the unfortunate Electress of Hanover, shut up for thirty years by her husband for having shown too much enthusiasm for the handsome Koenigsmark, still moves us; and the madness of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, the indecorous loves of Queen Isabella of Spain, or the eccentricities of Caroline, Princess of Wales, are more interesting today than the War of the Roses, the continence of Scipio or the virtues of Blanche of Castile. It is by their weaknesses that men are human, and kings cannot escape being men. But though their weaknesses may be the cause of their undoing, it is their humanity that most engages our sympathy today. Bad examples are the easiest to follow; they are also the most amusing to relate. I hope that I shall be forgiven for having attempted to do so.".…

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. Very clean. Pictures on request.

Hardcover. Condition: Like New. FIRST THUS. First Edition Thus, First Printing. Published by Barnes & Noble Books, 1993. Octavo. Hardcover. Book is like new. Dust jacket is like new.100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.…

Hardcover. Condition: As New. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. 1st Edition. FIRST PRINTING,FULL NUMBER LINE,AS NEW CONDITION BOOK IN EQUAL JACKET,SOME SPECKLING ON PAGE BLOCK EDGES.

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