The Death of Abel. In Five Books Attempted From The German Of Mr. Gessner

First Edition Thus. Calf. From the library of Susan Mary Alsop. Born Susan Mary Jay in Rome in 1918, she was the daughter of Peter Augustus Jay (and Susan Alexander McCook) and granddaughter of Augustus Jay (and Emily Astor Kane), both statesmen, legates and/or ambassadors (in Europe, Asia and South America). The Jays, a Huguenot family, produced John Jay, co-author of the Federalist Papers, Foreign Secretary and the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Many of the volumes from her library were from that of her father and grandfather and are so inscribed (as noted). Susan Mary [Jay] Alsop, in addition to being one of the great political hostesses in Washington's circles, was an author in her own right, producing a noted biography of Vita Sackville-West's mother, "Lady Sackville" (1978); and also "Yankees at the Court: The First Americans in Paris" (1982), and "The Congress Dances: Vienna 1814-1815" (1984). Laid in pressed flowers and circular handwritten note inside folded paper. Joints split with the front cover, spine chipped an inch at head, less at heel, regular rubbing/scuffing, bumped corners, else tight, bright, and unmarred. Bound in contemporary tree calf with generous margins, gilt titling and decorations to spine, red leather label; 4to, xi, 275 pages. Illus (b/w, portrait, an engraved title page, and six lovely plates by Thomas Stothard), title vignette. Includes laid in press plants, correspondence.…