From the library of Marie-Louise, Empress of France and Duchess of Parma

Aglaure d'Almont, ou Amour et devoir (in French, Eng.-Love and Duty, 2 vols)

By Mlle. Fleury, artiste societaire du second theatre francais, Hubert, Libraire, Palais-Royal, Paris, 1820, 172, 179 pp

This very scarce novel, written by a popular comic French actress, is in red morocco, with gilt titles on spines and the gilt monogram of the Empress Marie-Louise on both covers, indicating that the volumes are from her personal library.  Other volumes from her library, with similar bindings, are held at Cambridge University and at Princeton.

The set is in very good condition overall.  Vol. 1 does have some old water damage to front edges of covers, half title and endpapers, but the rest of the covers and the text are unaffected, with only slight age toning, and uneven page edges as is sometimes typical for books of this period.  Vol. 2 shows none of the issues of Vol. 1 and has only minor scuffing at the corners. Modest foxing, primarily at half title and title pages Both bindings are tight and sound. An internet search yields no other originals currently available, just modern print-to-order copies.  So the novel itself is scarce, but its association with the Empress makes this set unique.

Marie-Anne-Florence Bernardy-Nones (1766 - 1818), known as Mademoiselle Fleury, was a Belgian actress active in France Her father (Louis-Joseph Nones, known as Fleury) and mother (Marie-Anne-Denise Bernardy, daughter of Charles Bernardy) were comic actors in the provinces who often appeared in the Austrian Netherlands.  Mademoiselle Fleury debuted at the Comédie-Française in 1786, and became a sociétaire in 1791, retiring in 1807.

Marie Louise (1791–1847) was Napoleon's second wife and as such Empress of the French and Queen of Italy from their marriage in 1810 until his abdication in April 1814.  She was the eldest child of Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor and Emperor of Austria and his second wife, Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily.  Despite Napoleon’s abdication, her royal parentage was recognized by the Congress of Vienna, and she became the Duchess of Parma from 1814 until her death.

$750

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