Joséphine de Beauharnais Set of 3 - Frédéric Masson - Paris 1901-1905

A fine three-volume antique book series about the life of Joséphine de Beauharnais, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress of France. Written by the French historian and Napoleon expert Frédéric Masson and published in Paris between 1901 and 1905.

The three volumes follow Joséphine through different periods of her life: from her youth and first marriage to her years as empress alongside Napoleon and ultimately her life after their separation. Together, the books form Masson's classic three-volume Joséphine series.

The set is uniformly bound with dark leather spines, gilt titles, and decorative gold tooling. The black-and-green marbled boards, marbled endpapers, and red-white-and-blue ribbon markers make the whole set particularly decorative. The three volumes are clearly designed as a single set and together comprise over eleven centimeters of early 20th-century French historiography.

The books are more than 120 years old and are in good condition for their age. The bindings are sturdy and the interiors have been well preserved. The volumes show normal signs of age and wear, and the spines are slightly crooked. There is also some light discoloration and foxing in places.

Details:

• Author: Frédéric Masson (1847-1923)
• Subject: Joséphine de Beauharnais and Napoleon Bonaparte
• Language: French
• Published in Paris
• Publisher: Société d'Éditions Littéraires et Artistiques, Librairie Paul Ollendorff
• Joséphine de Beauharnais 1763-1796, 11th edition, 1904
• Joséphine Impératrice et Reine, 10th edition, 1905
• Joséphine répudiée 1809-1814, 8th edition, 1901
• Complete three-volume Joséphine series
• Uniformly bound set
• Dark leather spines with gilt titles and decoration
• Marbled boards and endpapers
• Red-white-and-blue ribbon markers
• Dimensions per book: approx. 22 × 15 cm
• Total thickness of the three volumes: approx. 11.5 cm
• Condition: good for the age, with signs of wear and age
• Spines are slightly crooked
• Light foxing and paper discoloration present
• Bindings sturdy