Brick Row Book Shop

Characters and Intrigue in High Places

[MANLEY, DELARIVIER, ATTRIBUTED AUTHOR].

Court Tales: or, a History of the Amours of the Present Nobility. To which is Added, a Compleat Key.

Place and Imprint: London: Printed for J. Roberts, 1717.
Edition: First edition, second issue, with a new title, preface and the addition of a "key" by John Oldmixon.
Bibliographical References: ESTC T70064; McBurney, English Prose Fiction 1700-1739, 69b.
Condition: Early ink signature on the title-page; some foxing and browning; very good copy, handsomely bound.
Book ID: 28793

Physical Description

8vo, period-style panelled and sprinkled calf, red morocco spine label, gilt decorations and lettering. Frontispiece engraved by Louis Du Guernier.

Comments

A reissue of The Court of Atalantis (1714), a work designed to take advantage of Delarivier Manley's popular roman à clef memoirs, Atalantis and its sequels. It is uncertain whether or not Manley (1663-1724) was responsible for this work. ESTC notes that it is "variously attributed to Jodocus Curll and Mrs. Manley." In tone and subject, however, it certainly resembles her work, with more than 30 sketches of characters and intrigue in high places, masked with pseudonyms, for which the versatile and well-connected writer John Oldmixon (1673-1742) provided a key. Among the sketches is a dialogue, verse and songs.

Sold