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Published: 1817. This 1817 edition of Élisabeth, ou les Exilés de Sibérie is a survivor of Regency Bath s literary culture and the Henry Godwin circulating library. Situated on Milsom Street, this was a cornerstone of the social 'season' in Bath, where books would have been borrowed, carried to the Pump Room, and read in private drawing rooms. PROVENANCE: Henry Godwins Circulating Library, Milsom Street, Bath. DESCRIPTION: Early 19th-century French novel in full mottled brown leather with gilt-ruled and decorated faux-ridged spine, red leather title plate, marbled endpapers, and marbled text block edges. Provenance: front pastedown bears Henry Godwin Circulating Library, Bath sticker Language: French Book Condition: Very Good. Light wear to corners, edges, and spine ends; boards lightly rubbed. Binding tight, hinges strong, endpapers intact. Minor toning to title page; otherwise clean, unmarked text. A well-preserved example of an early London-printed French edition in attractive contemporary binding. DJ Condition: No DJ. Pages ii, 171, 3. Size: 13cm by 8cm. BOOK RESUME: Early 19th-century French novel exploring themes of love, exile, and human suffering against the backdrop of Siberian penal settlements. The narrative follows Élisabeth and other aristocratic figures who are forced into harsh exile, tracing their endurance, moral integrity, and emotional resilience. The work reflects contemporary fascination with romantic virtue, social injustice, and distant geographies, characteristic of French sentimental fiction of the early 1800s. AUTHOR: Sophie Cottin (1770-1807) was a French novelist born in Paris in 1770, best known for her sentimental novels which gained widespread popularity in France and beyond during the early 19th century. She began writing as a young woman and published several works, including Élisabeth, ou les Exilés de Sibérie, Amélie de Mansfield, and Mathilde, which combine romantic sensibilities, moral reflection, and depictions of personal suffering. Her novels often explore themes of virtue, fidelity, exile, and social injustice, set against historical or semi-historical backdrops. Her influence lies in her ability to blend emotional narrative with moral instruction, appealing to both general readers and literary elites, and she remains studied for her contribution to sentimental and romantic French literature of the post-Revolutionary period.
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