Letters written on board his majesty's ship the Northumberland, and at Saint Helena in which the conduct and conversations of Napoleon Buonaparte, and his suite, during the voyage, and the first months of his residence on that island, are faithfully Described and Related

Philadelphia: M. Thomas. Very Good+ with no dust jacket. 1817. First Edition Thus. First Printing. Hard Cover. Bound in half red morocco over green marbled boards, spine lettered and tooled in gilt, with four raised bands. Illustrated with engraved frontispiece and engraved facsimile. Warden was a Surgeon on the Northumberland which conveyed Napoleon to St. Helena. During the voyages and for some time at Saint Helena Warden attended Napoleon. Following Napoleon's final defeat on the fields of Waterloo in 1815, and his surrender to the Royal Navy and eventual exile to St. Helena, the public curiosity in England regarding the man who had terrorised Europe for years and dragged on a war that had begun in 1793 was overwhelming. Captain Maitland's perhaps better known account of Napoleon's time in the BELLEROPHON, the ship Napoleon had surrendered to, was not published until 1826. William Warden, surgeon on board the NORTHUMBERLAND, the ship that carried the Emperor into exile, was, on his return to England, "in a state of persecution from the curiosity which prevails respecting that extraordinary character." Warden had spent several month on the island and was in a position to observe Napoleon at close quarters. His account is illustrated with an engraved vignette portrait of the prisoner, a folding facsimile and a further engraved plate depicting two medals. The subject matter and criticism of the work sold many editions in the first year. The populace did not like the favorable depiction of Napoleon and the military and literary audience determining that Warden could not have been present at some of the things described took exception to his claims. Warden's French not being strong and his translator, the Count de la Cases' English being confused in conveying Napoleon's comments apparently created discrepancies in the conversations as Napoleon later said that his conversations with Warden were quite different. . Edges rubbes, corners bumped and worn, boards rubbed, mild foxing throughout; former owner's wood-engraved bookplate (Daniel Delehanty Vincent Stuart Jr.) on fep, some light pencil sketches on ffep, pencil signature on half-title ("D. Lyman|Washington, D.C.|Friday July 18, 1879") and, in a light pencil of another hand ("Red & Blue"). VERY GOOD+.. Engravings. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. ix, (xi), 244 pp .