The Green Box of Monsieur de Sartine, found at Mademoiselle du The's Lodgings -From the French of the Hague edition, Revised and Corrected by those of Leipsic and Amsterdam
by [Anonymous, attr. to Richard Tickell]
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
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Wilmington, Delaware, United States
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About This Item
London: Sold by A. Becket [...] and R. Faulder, [1779]. Half-title, 71, [1, (advert.)]pp. Bound into green gilt-lettered cloth. A very good or better copy.
With contemporary manuscript annotations on two pages. First English edition of this American Revolution era political satire and bibliographical hoax.
Anonymously written by Richard Tickell, the text purports to publish the letters of Benjamin Franklin (the "trading Ambassador") with de Sartine, among others, and various secret state papers. The sum of it all exposes France's motives for aiding America and satirizes Benjamin Franklin's activities in Paris.
In the margins of p69, a brief indistinct sentence is scribbled. On p51, at the end of a "Franklin" letter, this is written in a contemporary hand:
"What was the Effect [strikethrough] Consequence of all this silly [indistinct word lined out] flattery to our Ministers? No-Body was concerned by it & our affairs went from bad to worse. Scarce was this Pamphlet out of the Press, when Spain took part in the War, & we lost [indistinct word] & Grenada, [British naval loss at the 1779 Battle of Grenada] the combined Keels off Plymouth."
It seems unlikely that a reader, writing marginalia in the spur of the moment, would have struck out words and replaced them for their own private benefit. Of the subsequent revised editions that we examined, none printed the above commentary.
From the collection of Matt B. Jones who likely bought it from Goodspeed's, "1239" penciled beneath his bookplate. Michael Walsh wrote that Jones "chose things with the finest judgment. They always had to be in good condition; they had to be significant. A Matt Jones book in an American institution today is a book to be proud of...."
The Green Box went through multiple editions and became popular in both England and on the continent. Ford 973, gives no priority to the so-called French original edition [La Casette Verte...] or the English edition, both undoubtedly printed in London. Sabin 95796. Adams, Controversy, 79-107g. ESTC T035872. Butterfield, L.H. Anticipation by Richard Tickell, pp90-91.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA) (US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 3732887
- Title
- The Green Box of Monsieur de Sartine, found at Mademoiselle du The's Lodgings -From the French of the Hague edition, Revised and Corrected by those of Leipsic and Amsterdam
- Author
- [Anonymous, attr. to Richard Tickell]
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
Terms of Sale
Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
About the Seller
Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
About Ian Brabner, Rare Americana (ABAA)
Our inventory encompasses a broad spectrum of collecting interests, with a special focus on 18th- and 19th-century American history, including African-American history, women's history, and unique or unusual materials documenting the American experience. In our stock, you will also find rare pamphlets, documents, letters and correspondence, journals, diaries, significant archives, as well as original art, graphics, and photographs.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Marginalia
- Marginalia, in brief, are notes written in the margins, or beside the text of a book by a previous owner. This is very...
- Bookplate
- Highly sought after by some collectors, a book plate is an inscribed or decorative device that identifies the owner, or former...
- Cloth
- "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...