Memoirs of Sir Charles Goodville and His Family. [GOODVILLE (Sir Charles) - pseud.]

Memoirs of Sir Charles Goodville and His Family: In a Series of Letters to a Friend. In Two Volumes.

First Edition. Two volumes. 12mo. [170 x 100 x 58 mm]. iv, 274, [2] pp; [2]ff, 329, [3] pp. Bound in contemporary sprinkled calf, the covers with a gilt double fillet border, the spines divided into six panels with raised bands flanked by gilt double fillets, numbered in the third panel, plain endleaves, lightly sprinkled edges. (A little rubbed).
London: printed for D. Browne, without Temple-Bar; and Whiston and White, in Fleet-Street, 1753.

With the final advertisement leaf in vol.1 and the preliminary advertisement leaf and final 3pp of advertisements in vol.2. Loss of lower corner of leaf [A2] and strip of outer edge of [F7] in vol.1, without affecting the text. A very good copy.

A variant issue has imprint in vol.1 that reads "Printed for Daniel Browne, without Temple Bar, and J. Whiston, and B. White, in Fleet-Street". ESTC records only thirteen copies of this sole London edition (British Library, Oxford, University of Bristol; Harvard, Huntington, McMaster, Newberry, Rice, Library of Congress, UCLA, University of Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania, Yale). There was also a Dublin edition of 1753, of which ESTC records two copies (National Library of Ireland and Princeton).

The letters are dated 1742 and 1743 but concern events around the Glorious Revolution. In the opening letter Sir Charles has arrived at the Hague and been introduced to the Prince of Orange. "Sir Charles was then about five and twenty; of a gay, sprightly Disposition, tempered with Oeconomy and good sense; polite, without Foppery; generous, without Extravagence; brave, but not rash; had been engaged in some Affairs of female Gallantry, but was not yet commenced the Lover".

With various early ink inscriptions:

1. "John Fidd March 2d. 1753" on front pastedown of vol.1 and "John Fidd 1753" on front pastedown of vol.2.

2. "Susanna Chad her Book" on rear pastedown of both volumes, with additional pencil note in vol.2 "Gave it to F. Norris".

3. Signature of Frances Dew on title-page of vol.1 and front free endleaf in vol.2. Frances was the daughter of the Rev. William Norris, Rector of Wood Norton, Norfolk, and Susanna Chad. She married John Dew of Swanton, Norfolk.

Stock no. ebc4069