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ANONYMOUS The Point of Honour. A Novel, 2 vol. in 1, FIRST EDITION, THE ONLY KNOWN COPY, Printed by W. Adlard for Francis & John Noble, 1768 image 1

ANONYMOUS The Point of Honour. A Novel, 2 vol. in 1, FIRST EDITION, THE ONLY KNOWN COPY, Printed by W. Adlard for Francis & John Noble, 1768 image 2

Lot 120^•

ANONYMOUS
The Point of Honour. A Novel, 2 vol. in 1, FIRST EDITION, THE ONLY KNOWN COPY, Printed by W. Adlard for Francis & John Noble, 1768

29 March 2023, 13:00 BST

London, Knightsbridge

Sold for £2,550 inc. premium

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ANONYMOUS

The Point of Honour. A Novel, 2 vol. in 1, FIRST EDITION, THE ONLY KNOWN COPY, half-titles within upper and lower border of typographical ornaments, 8-page publisher's catalogue at end, occasional light soiling and spotting, circulating library-style contemporary half calf, covers rubbed with one small hole in leather on upper cover, and slight loss to paper on lower cover, 12mo (163 x 100mm.), Printed by W. Adlard for Francis & John Noble, 1768

Footnotes

'ALL HANDSOME WOMEN ARE WITCHES; AND YOU ARE WONDROUS HANDSOME": A REDISCOVERED NOVEL OF 1768, UNTIL NOW THOUGHT ONLY TO SURVIVE IN ITS LATER FRENCH TRANSLATION.

No copies are recorded by ESTC, WorldCat, Library Hub Discover or Rare Books Hub. One of only two twentieth century references to the existence of the original novel we have traced is a 2015 Samuel Gedge catalogue which has stated that since "The point of honour. A novel. (London, 1768) is not recorded in ESTC it may be that this scarce French translation is all that survives" - which did seem to be the case until now. However, Library Hub Discover lists 4 copies of the 1770 French translation (Le point d'honneur. Nouvelle angloise, 3 vol., Paris, 1770), one of which is held by Leeds University who attribute the translation (we assume) to "Félix' (Barbier)", and state that "Martin, Mylne & Frautschi confirm that it is a translation from the English The point of honour; the latter is not recorded in the ESTC" (see Bibliographie du genre romanesque français 1751-1800, by Angus Martin, Vivienne G. Mylne, Richard Frautsch, Mansell, 1977, p.150).

Antonia Forster's Index to Book Reviews in England 1749-1774 (Southern Illinois University Press, 1990) records four contemporary references to the original novel, one of which is a short synopsis in The Critical Review, vol. 26, 1768, p.376: "This novel is of the see-saw kind... A gentleman falls in love with a lady, who is forced to marry another man... yet this gentleman falls in love again.. the former dearee becomes a widow.. [but] falls into consumption and dies, and leaves her fortune to our hero...that happiness is the result, is as sure as that three and two make five". An internet search brings up only the above mentioned 1768 references and the Gedge catalogue.

Provenance: Johann Siegried von Buch, Stolpe an der Oder (Brandenburg), bookplate, and ink stamp on front free endpaper; UK collection.

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ARCHITECTURE - ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL
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