Elizabeth Inchbald (1753–1821); continuation attributed to Isabelle de Montolieu (1751–1832)

Simple Histoire [with] Mistress Walter, ou Seconde et Dernière Suite de Simple Histoire

Publisher: Paris: Chez Louis, Libraire, rue Séverin, An III (1794–1795) [Simple Histoire] and 1800 [Mistress Walter].

Illustration: Engraved plates (unsigned; French school, late 18th c.)

Edition: Fourth French edition of Simple Histoire; first French edition of Mistress Walter (1800).

Binding: Uniform contemporary calf, spines gilt-tooled with floral ornaments and volume numbering, contrasting morocco labels, marbled endbands, green silk ribbon markers.

Description: A remarkable six-volume composite set, comprising the French Revolutionary translation of Elizabeth Inchbald’s A Simple Story (Simple Histoire) in four volumes (Paris, An III, 1794–95, fourth French edition) together with the rare two-volume continuation Mistress Walter (Paris, Louis, 1800). Both works are illustrated with engraved plates, lively depictions of key scenes in the novels, adding visual appeal to the sentimental narratives.

Inchbald’s A Simple Story was one of the most influential English novels of the late 18th century, praised for its psychological depth and exploration of female virtue, desire, and independence. Its French popularity was immense, with multiple editions printed during the Revolution.

The continuation, Mistress Walter, is here attributed in contemporary manuscript notes to Madame de Montolieu (1751–1832), a celebrated Swiss novelist and translator who adapted and extended many English works for French-speaking readers (including Jane Austen). The handwritten notes inside the set explicitly identify Montolieu as the author of the sequel and provide a short obituary note of her death in 1832, enhancing this copy’s provenance and literary significance.

Together, these six volumes represent not only the cross-Channel literary exchange of the 1790s–1800 but also the Continental reception of women’s writing during the French Revolution and Napoleonic era. The survival of both Inchbald’s novel and Montolieu’s sequel in uniform bindings with contemporary annotation makes this an especially important association set.

Condition: Good, complete in six volumes with all plates present. Contemporary calf with gilt spines rubbed, surface wear and losses to gilt, headcaps chipped, corners worn. Some joints cracked but all bindings holding firmly. Interiors with typical foxing and toning, occasional dampstaining (esp. prelims), but text clear and engravings strong impressions. Green ribbon markers present in some volumes. Manuscript notes in a neat 19th-century hand add bibliographic and literary context regarding Montolieu’s authorship and death (1832).

Annotation: A complete six-volume set combining Inchbald’s A Simple Story in French (Simple Histoire) and the scarce sequel Mistress Walter, attributed in manuscript to Mme de Montolieu. Illustrated with plates, in contemporary bindings with 19th-century provenance notes. An extraordinary example of Revolutionary and Napoleonic-era women’s literature in translation, with significant provenance.

Item #143

Price: $750.00

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