Julia De Roubigne. A Tale. In a Series of Letters. Vol. I and II (two volumes in one); A New edition To Which Is Adde, The Dying Ode Of Julia De Roubigne; Not Inserted In Any Former Edition

Two volumes in one. 16mo. in plain full calf, spine lined in gilt and with gilt lettered title label. Frontispiece portrait engraving of Julia De Roubigne (a bit trimmed on the outer side). First edition thus (as per title page statement concerning the Dying Ode not appearing in any previous edition). 198 pp. binding very good, contemporary owner signature verso of the portrait, repeated at the top of the first page of the Introduction. Lacking rear endpapers. Scattered foxing to the text. An epistolary novel that first was published in London in 1777. The novel is told through letters and tells of Julia's being torn between her true love, St. Aubert, and her obligations to the man whom shewas forced to marry, the Count du Montauban. (Spoiler alert: the conflict leads to a tragic conclusion.) The work was very popular, hence the multiple printings. It's themes of love, duty, societal pressure, and the role of women in the late 18th century made it a precursor to later, 19th century Gothic and psychological novels.…