Beckford (William).- Thiébault (Dieudonné) Mes Souvenirs de Vingt Ans de Séjour a Berlin; ou Frédéric le Grand..., 5 vol., William Beckford's copy with pencil notes, Paris, F.Buisson, 1804.

Beckford (William).- Thiébault (Dieudonné) Mes Souvenirs de Vingt Ans de Séjour a Berlin; ou Frédéric le Grand, sa Famille, sa Cour, son Gouvernement, son Académie, ses Écoles, et ses Amis Littérateurs et Philosophes, 5 vol., first edition, half-titles, William Beckford's copy with his extensive pencil notes to front free endpapers (3pp. in vol.1, 2pp. in vol.3 and 1p. each in vol.2, 4 & 5) and later ink note "Beckford sale 1883 lot 2571" [£1.16s to Bain] in vol.1, light foxing, bound for Beckford in near contemporary half calf, ?by Charles Lewis, spines gilt with black roan labels, rubbed, corners and spines a little worn, chipped at ends, upper cover of vol.1 detached, preserved in modern cloth drop-back box, 8vo, Paris, F.Buisson, 1804.

⁂ Important contemporary memoir of Frederick the Great, by Dieudonné Thiébault (1733-1807), who acted for many years as the king's literary advisor, and with an interesting provenance. As usual, Beckford's notes mainly summarise the text rather than adding comments of his own, but the notes show what he found interesting and act as a kind of index to the most amusing passages, e.g. in vol.1, "Mons.r Thiébault en faveur auprès des Chiens de sa Majesté" (p.276) and vol.5, "Frederic bon Vampire" (p.403).

Provenance: William Beckford (1760-1844), novelist, writer and collector, whose library passed to his son-in-law, the Duke of Hamilton, and was sold in the great Hamilton Palace sales of 1882-83; Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (1847-1929), politician and Prime Minister 1894-95 (small armorial gilt label, his note re Beckford sale, some other pencil annotations possibly by Rosebery).