About this Item
First edition, first issue (apparently 2000 copies were printed) with the12-liine errata following the last page (384) and with 'afford' on page 199. D8 and U4 are cancels, U4 is in corrected state, numbered 296. This book has some significant provenance. It was previously owned by Louisa Catherine Sligo whose father, 'Admiral of the Fleet' Richard Howe, was a British naval officer who commanded the British Navy in the time of the American War of Independence and the French Revolution. A slip of paper with her printed name is on the front inside cover. 'Louisa has connections to the royal family through her father Richard and her eldest sister Sophia. Richard's maternal grandmother Sophia Charlotte Von Kielmansegg, Countess of Darlington, was the half-sister of George the 1st, King of Great Britain. It was reported that Richard's mother, Mary Sophia Charlotte Kielmansegg was the illegitimate daughter of King George, which would make Richard the grandson of the then King of Great Britain. Princess Diana of Wales is a direct descendant of Louisa's sister Sophia Charlotte Howe through her only son Richard William Penn Curzon-Howe. Richard Curzon-Howe's second youngest daughter Lady Mary Anna Curzon is the paternal grandmother of Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton who in turn is the paternal grandmother of Lady Diana Frances Spencer. Louisa is also linked to modern day royalty, to Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince George. Louisa Catherine Howe became the 3rd Countess of Altamont and later the 1st Marchioness of Sligo, through her marriage to John Denis Browne.' Louisa was eight years old when this book was published which raises the question which Howe signed his or her name on the front inside cover (see photo). I have no idea. Louisa's uncle was Major General William Howe, a Whig who sympathized with the Americans. However, he took over as the commander-in-chief of the British Army, leading his troops against George Washington beginning in 1776. You can see the covers of the book in the photos. They're in pretty nice shape, some light scuffing, a small piece of the leather is missing off the bottom front edge and the top edge of the spine. There are a few closed vertical tears on the leather of the spine, also a small puncture a little bit up from its bottom edge. A good amount of the marbled paper has been rubbed off of the top and bottom edges. An inch or so of the front middle edge is rough with a little bit of the material there rubbed away. The leather at the corners is uneven. The book is square and the spine is straight. From the side you can see through a crack between the front inside cover and the front end paper. However all three bindings are intact and the cover is solidly bound. The exact same thing is the case for the rear cover. The pages are nicely tight throughout. There is one instance of a crack between pages 158 and 159, both of these pages are tightly bound from top to bottom. The pages are very clean. I would describe the foxing as very light. The end papers and inside covers are darkened at their corners. There are occasional creases, nothing terrible. There is an edge tear on page 277-278, just touching these two page numbers. There are no markings or attachments in the book. A 'Thos. H. Day' penciled his name on the front end paper. He or another previous owner (perhaps a Howe) penned onto the relevant pages, in small letters, each of the corrections in the 12-line Errata. There is no other writing in the book. 'A travel narrative by Samuel Johnson about an eighty-three day journey in 1773 through Scotland, in particular the islands of the Hebrides. Johnson was accompanied by his friend James Boswell, who was also keeping a record of the trip, published in 1785 as A Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides. Boswell went on to write the famous biography of Johnson, which included the itinerary of the trip.'. Seller Inventory # 005154
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