Author - Georgette Ducrest
Title - Memoirs of the Empress Josephine
Publisher - Henry Colburn, London
 
Edition & Date - 1829 — Scarce Second Edition - Three volumes, complete -Total pages: 994
 
Description - A very good and complete three‑volume set of the 1829 Second Edition of Georgette Ducrest’s Memoirs of the Empress Josephine—a cornerstone narrative of Napoleonic‑era biography and one of the most intimate portraits of Josephine ever published.
Ducrest, Josephine’s cousin and principal confidant after the imperial divorce, accompanied the former Empress into her quiet exile at Navarre. Her memoir offers a uniquely personal account of Josephine’s life, character, and courtly world, enriched with anecdotes from Navarre and Malmaison and shaped by the emotional aftermath of Napoleon’s decision to dissolve their fourteen‑year marriage in 1810 due to her inability to bear an heir.
This edition—issued by Henry Colburn in London—was among the earliest English‑language windows into Josephine’s private world and remains prized for its immediacy, candor, and historical value.
 
Physical Details
Octavo, three volumes
Vol. I: 364 pp.
Vol. II: 306 pp. + 6 pp. publisher’s ads
Vol. III: 324 pp.
 
Binding: Handsome brown half‑leather over marbled paper boards
Spine's gilt in six compartments with five raised bands
Matching marbled endpapers
Top edge gilt
A classic early‑19th‑century English binding—elegant, sturdy, and visually appealing on the shelf.
 
Condition
A solid and attractive set, graded Very Good overall:
Leather spines cracked and rubbed, with wear to raised bands
Corner tips rubbed and worn
Outer hinges worn but bindings remain sound
Light toning, scattered foxing, and occasional finger smudges to text
Armorial bookplate of Harold Cooper Pynchon in each volume
Pages clean, legible, and pleasantly handled
A well‑preserved example of this scarce Colburn printing—complete, structurally strong, and rich with period character.
 
Provenance - Harold Cooper Pynchon armorial bookplate in all three volumes—an appealing association for collectors who value distinguished ownership and the continuity of private libraries.
 
A Notable Set
Second editions of Ducrest’s memoirs are far less common than the later 1830s reprints, and complete sets in contemporary bindings are increasingly scarce. This is a compelling copy for collectors of:
Napoleonic history
Women’s biography
French court memoirs
Early 19th‑century English bindings
Provenance‑rich sets
 
A refined and historically resonant addition to any Napoleonic or European‑history collection.