The Eight Volumes of Letters Writ by a Turkish Spy, Who liv'd Five and Forty Years undiscover'd at Paris: Giving an Impartial Account to the Divan at Constantinople of the most remarkable Transactions of Europe: And, Discovering several intrigues and Secrets of the Christian Courts (especially of that of France) continued from the year 1642, to 1682

London: G. Strahan, S. and E. Ballard, J. Bretherton, et alus. Good. 1753-54. Leather. Autograph; [Title continues] Written, Originally, in Arabick, Translated into Italian, and from thence into English: and now pub. with a large historical preface and index to illustrate the whole. By the translator of the first volume W. Bradshaw; edited by Robert Midgley. OCLC 29395372 1223292742 Interesting provenance from the Galloway and Warder families of 18th century Philadelphia offsets condition issues. All volumes in contemporary 18th century full calf bindings red leather spine labels, five raised bands, very faded gilt decorative stamping. Contents complete, toning to endpapers from leather bindings. Each volume bears two owners' markings, "B H & E N Warder / 1871" on ffep [Benjamin H. and Ellen Nancy Ormsby Warder] and "Elizabeth Galloway's / to / Jeremiah Warder Jr./ 4 October 1802" usually on the next or following blank. Individual volumes have various condition issues as follows: Volume 1. Leather missing from spine at top compartment, splitting along external hinges, bumped at top edge of rear board, worn through at corners, chipped at extremeties. A pencil note at top of title page citing John Paul Marana as author. Volume 2. Leather splitting along external hinges, chipped spine ends, rubbed at corners, boards splayed. Volume 3. Leather splitting along external hinges, chipped at spine ends and in several places along spine, rubbed at corners. Volume 4. Leather missing from spine at top two compartments, splitting along external hinges, rubbed at corners, toned along edge of front board near spine. Volume 5. Leather spine missing completely, rubbed at corners, toned on rear board, board loosened, but still attached by stiching, ffep split at hinge. Volume 6. Leather splitting along external hinges, chipped at spine ends, rubbed at corners, small piece missing from upper corner of ffep. Volume 7. Leather splitting/rubbed along external hinges, chipped at spine ends, rubbed at corners, toning to front board. Volume 8. Leather missing from spine at top compartment, splitting along external hinges, rubbing at corners, chipped at extremeties, rear board darkened near spine and lower left corner, faint tide marks to last few leaves. Marana' s famous satire was first published in anonymous English translation in separate parts from the late 17th Century, not completed however until well into the 18th. L'Esploratore Turco by G.P. Marana originally appeared in Paris in 1684. but subsequent parts are variously attribute and probably edited by Robert Midgley from William Bradshaw's translation of the original Italian MS.' PROVENANCE: Elizabeth Galloway (1753-?) was the daughter of Joseph Galloway (1731-1803) and Grace Growdon Galloway (1727-1782) of Philadelphia. Joseph and Grace (m. 1753) were both from notable and wealthy families. Elizabeth's grandfather Lawrence Growdon was a businessman (Durham Ironworks), a politician and a PA Supreme Court judge, who built the family's Trevose Mansion on the vast acreage his father acquired from William Penn. The Galloway family of Maryland was also quite wealthy, enabling Joseph to migrate to Philadelphia where he studied law with his good friend William Franklin, Benjamin Franklin's son. Joseph, already a successful lawyer, entered politics in 1756 and became a protege of Benjamin Franklin within the Pennsylvania Assembly, where he served for 18 years. By 1775 Joseph Galloway had become an avid Tory and left the Assembly opposing the Declaration of Independence and declaring his loyalty to the King. He fled to New York and became an advisor to General William Howe, commander of the British forces. Howe subsequently made him Superintendent of both Police and Port when the British captured Philadelphia. When the British abandoned Philadelphia in June 1778, Galloway escaped with his daughter Elizabeth to England; he was convicted of high treason in absentia by the Pennsylvania Assembly and his estates confiscated. His wife Grace Growdon Galloway remained in Philadelphia fighting to retain their properties, or at least those inherited from her own Growdon family, including Trevose Manor. Her ordeal is described in the diary she kept; marriage and feme covert left Grace without legal rights, so she lost her case. Grace G. Galloway died in 1782; Joseph Galloway died in England in 1803. After the Treaty of Paris (1783), the PA Supreme Court ruled that Grace should not have been punished for her husband's crimes and they returned the full estate to Elizabeth Galloway Roberts, her daughter Ann Grace Galloway Burton, and some cousins. Around 1801-1802 Elizabeth returned to Pennsylvania from England to take possession of her inheritance. It was at this time that she gifted this set of The Turkish Spy to Jeremiah Warder, Jr. (1744-1822), who had been a friend and neighbor of the Galloways in Philadelphia. Jeremiah Warder, Sr. (1711 - 1783) established a very successful mercantile business importing goods from London. When hostilities broke out between the English and the colonists, Warder was suspected of being a Loyalist and was arrested along with other wealthy and prominent members of local Quaker families. Warder died during the war and at the time was noted to be "one of the richest men in outward goods among Friends." His son Jeremiah Warder, Jr., was a well-known Philadelphia merchant who was described by John Chaloner as “perfectly neuter during the War.” Benjamin Head Warder (1824-1894) was the son of Jeremiah Warder (1780-1849) and his wife Ann Aston Warder (1784-1871), Quakers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Benjamin's father inherited this set from his uncle (and namesake) Jeremiah Warder, Jr. (1744-1822); then Benjamin and his wife Ellen Nancy Warder inherited the set in 1871 when Benjamin's mother died. In 1886 Benjamin H. Warder and family came to Washington from Springfield, Ohio, where he owned a company that manufactured agricultural machinery which later became part of International Harvester. In Washington he was a respected real estate developer and philanthropist who was devoted to his family and to a hospital and orphanage sponsored by St. John’s Episcopal Church. Warder developed several "country properties" into residential neighborhoods, including Whitney Close, Schuetzen Park, and Bellevue. Warder commissioned two significant buildings in Washington -- a large stone residence for his family designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson and "The Warder Building" designed by architect Nicholas T. Haller which was completed in 1892. In 1892 Warder purchased a large tract of land in northwest Washington, D.C. known as Armesleigh Park. Unfortunately, he died shortly after on a trip to Egypt and was unable to pursue this residential development project. ; Signed by Notable Personage, Unrelated .