The Countess of Blessington [Marguerite Gardiner] — Meredith. A Novel.

London, Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans, 1848 [1843]. Leather. A smart, scarce, contemporary edition of this Romantic novel from Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington. In three volumes. First published in three volumes by Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans in 1843, and not a financial success for the publisher.Set in England and Europe, the novel follows the titular Meredith, a young man on a tour of the Continent with his tutor following the death of his parents. He is embroiled in the rescue of a young woman in distress, with the two eventually falling in love and marrying.Unusually, each of these three volumes bear the date of 1848 to the title page. No record of this edition exists on Jisc or WorldCat, with Sadleir and Loeber and Rolf's bibliographies identifying no editions of this work published after 1843.The publication of an 1848 edition is further unlikely as by this date Lady Blessington was in the depths of financial difficulties, largely deserted by her high born associates, with publisher's refusing to accept her novels unless she paid upfront for their production. Therefore it is most likely that the 1848 to the title page is a simple miss-print, corrected after only a few copies were produced. This would make this an unusual and very early copy of what is already and very rare work. Bound without half titles to each volume, and with the label of the Waterford Mechanic's Scientific Institute Lending Library to front pastedowns.The Countess of Blessington, a known acquaintance of Lord Byron, was exceedingly beautiful and an accomplished hostess who shrugged off any attempt at conventional respectability. The Countess's name has been handwritten to the title page of volume III by a contemporary owner.The rumours surrounding the relationship between her, her husband the Earl of Blessington, and Count Alfred d'Orsay was memorably treated by Michael Sadleir in his 1937 study 'Blessington d'Orsay: A Masquerade&apos. Rebacked, in quarter calf bindings, with paper covered boards. Retaining original endpapers. Bumping to board perimeters. Lending library bookplate to front pastedowns. Internally, firmly bound. Contemporary inscription to volume III title page. Light tide mark to tail of volume I title page. Pages age toned, with spotting and light handling marks throughout. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .