LETTERS OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LADY JANE DOUGLAS; to her husband Sir John Stewart, bart. Collected, arranged, and illustrated with Notes. With an introductory preface, extracted from her case drawn up by Alexander Lockhart, esquire. To which are subjoined, the dying declarations of Lady Jane Douglas, Sir John Stewart, and their attendant Mrs. Helen Hewit.

[BOSWELL, James, editor.]

Published by Dublin: printed by J. Exshaw in Dame-street, 1768

About this Item

12mo, pp. viii, 203; a very good copy, in contemporary Irish catspaw sheep, corner of upper cover and foot of spine a little worn. First Dublin edition, and very rare. The text consists of letters and papers in the famous Douglas Cause, edited and abridged by some of the lawyers concerned in the case. As is well known, James Boswell was involved as a supporter of the rights of Archibald Douglas, and Pottle says that 'there can be no doubt that Boswell was one of the editors of this volume, though not perhaps the sole editor'. Although there is little that is original in the volume nearly all of it being composed of letters written in the 1740s and 1750s there are some footnotes which may be his work. One of them refers directly to Boswell's own work, and must be by him: 'This letter was written in consequence of that most interesting scene described in Dorando, a Spanish tale' (p. 160). Pottle also quotes from the concluding section on pp. 201-3, and shows that the last sentence is 'lifted bodily from Dorando'. Pottle 23. The book was first published in London in late November 1767, and this edition followed, presumably, a few months later. It is exceptionally rare, with ESTC locating just five copies: National Library of Scotland, Bodleian, Boston Public Library, University of Virginia, and Yale. Pottle had only ever seen one copy, in a private collection.

Seller Inventory # 26536

Bibliographic Details

• Title: LETTERS OF THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LADY JANE DOUGLAS; to her husband Sir John Stewart, bart. Collected, arranged, and illustrated with Notes. With an introductory preface, extracted from her case drawn up by Alexander Lockhart, esquire. To which are subjoined, the dying declarations of Lady Jane Douglas, Sir John Stewart, and their attendant Mrs. Helen Hewit.
• Publisher: Dublin: printed by J. Exshaw in Dame-street
• Publication Date: 1768
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Seller catalogs:
  • Law