First and only edition of the autobiography of Gabriel Adrien Marie Poissonnier-Desperrières (1763-1852), splendidly bound for William I (1772-1843), Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands, by René Simier (1772-1843), one of the best French binders of the 19th-century and binder to the King. "His variety and technique were superb; he had no superior and few rivals during his career" (Ramsden).
Gabriel Adrien Marie Poissonnier-Desperrières was aide-de-champs of La Fayette in 1789, took part in the suppression of the revolt of the Swiss regiment at Nancy, and was present at Valmy. During the French Revolution he was sent to prison, but he was released after the 9. Thermidor. Pages 1-162 relate to this revolutionary period. Under Napoleon the author was twice put on non-active, in 1801 and in 1806. He retired from the army in 1811. After the "Restoration", Poissonnier-Desperrières rallied to the Bourbons and remained loyal during the "Hundred Days". So from page 209 onwards the memoirs deal mainly with the early days of the "Restoration", from about 1814 to 1816.
A very good copy, only some occasional spots. The binding with very minor along the extremities, otherwise also very good. Quérard VII, , p. 246; for Simier: Flety, p. 162; Ramsden, p. 190.