A Treatise on Ancient and Modern Literature. Illustrated by Striking References to the Principal Events and Characters that have Distinguished the French Revolution

London: Printed by George Cawthorn, Bookseller and Printer to the Royal Highness the Princess of Wales, 1803, 1803. First edition in English. Boards slightly stained; a few clean tears in the margins; very good copy.. 2 vols, 8vo, original drab boards rebacked with tan paper spines and new printed paper labels, untrimmed. The first English translation of Madame de Stael's impressive survey of literature in historical perspective, De la Litterature Consideree dans ses Rapports avec les Institutions Sociales, a work that touches on pretty much all of Western literature from the Greek and Latin classics to Elizabethan literature and theatre, including a lengthy section on Shakespeare and the English novel and poetry of the 18th century. French writer and novelist Madame de Stael (1766-1817) was an admirer of England and made numerous literary friends there on her extended visits. Early round embossed stamp of a Boston church library on the title-pages; tear in the upper margins of the title-pages, to remove an early signature.