Excellent presentation copy given to her friend the novelist Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton by the author, Georgiana, Lady Chatterton, in an effort to vindicate the reputation of the subject of her book, her mother’s brother, Admiral Gambier. As well as being inscribed on the author’s behalf, a letter laid in from Georgiana Dering unpacks her reasons for writing this study, explaining them as an attempt to recover Gambier’s posthumous reputation and to persuade Bulwer Lytton to write favourably of Gambier in in what she says is his plan to write a biographical history. Gambier (1756-1833) saw distinguished early service in the American Revolutionary War and French Revolutionary Wars but never recovered from the accusation of cowardice at the Battle of the Basque Roads in 1808.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Publisher’s bright blue cloth binding, blind stamped with gilt spine lettering. Yellow coated endpapers with a presentation inscription written on behalf of Lady Chatterton (probably by the publisher’s clerk) on the front pastedown. In Vol I this is partially obscured by the later bookplate of John Gretton of Stapleford (1867-1947, Olympic Yachting Gold Medalist, 1900); in the second volume almost the whole of the inscription is visible: ‘the kind respects of Lady Chatterton 1863’ - with the signature of Bulwer Lytton above - seemingly ‘EBLytton’. Spotting to preliminary leaves; a few pages roughly opened but a very good copy. Binder’s ticket of Leightonson and Hodge to final pastedown.
Laid in is Lady Chatterton’s letter to Bulwer Lytton which presents the book, written on two bifoliums of ‘Smedmore, Wareham’ headed paper to ‘Sir Edward’, promoting the claim of ‘my Uncle Admiral Lord Gambier. I shall like to send you a copy of his Memorials...’ and explaining her motivation for writing the book, citing several of the rival histories of Gambier’s exploits and stating that ‘I am particularly anxious that you who are so ably writing modern history should read the *other* side’ so as to see how critics have ‘continued to twist my Uncles own words (by leaving out parts of sentences) against him.’ Signed, ‘Georgiana Chatterton’.
CONTEXT It’s not possible to be certain that our ‘Sir Edward’ is definitely Bulwer Lytton but correspondence between the two is held at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office - and the inscription in Bulwer Lytton’s typically terrible handwriting. Georgiana Chatterton (1806-1876) was a prolific writer, aristocrat and traveller. Immensely wealthy, she was married to her fellow novelist Edward Dering who is generously credited in our letter for his help with her work on Gambier’s life.
