Lettres
By: d'une Peruvienne
Contributors: Morehead, William
Publisher: Wilson?
Published: 1748
Place of publication: A Peine [i.e. England?
Language: fre
Number of pages: 337
Subjects: Incas; Peruvians; Fiction; Indians of South America; Social life and customs
Notes: Attributed to Madame de Grafigny by Weller and Barbier.

Fictitious imprint; place and date of publication given as Paris, [1747?] by Palau y Dulcet, Cioranescu and Quérard.

Novel in the form of 38 letters, mainly from the Inca princess Zilia to her lover Aza. The Inca princess Zilia is kidnapped by Spanish conquerors, captured by the French after a battle at sea, and taken to Europe.

John Carter Brown Brown Library copy has an ms. inscription "First edition" on recto of front flyleaf. Despite the inscription and attribution of Paris, 1747 as the place and date of publication, this editon was most likely printed in England in 1748. Bibliographical research has identified 11 "Peine" editions printed between 1747 and 1748. Some of these Peine editions were imposed as 24mos in 12s, others as 12mos in 8's and 4's; some editions differ in the number of head and tail pieces.

John Carter Brown Library copy has been identified as Peine no. 9 and is conjectured to have been printed in England. Typographical evidence includes such reasons as the text beginning with gathering B1, not an imposition pattern used much in France. The "Avertissement", p. [j]-viij, though numbered with "j"s, as used in Europe, is signed "a", another British convention. Head and tail pieces seem to be far more British in design and the typographical use of swash T's are more frequently used in books printed in Great Britain. In addition to typographical evidences, the missigning of leaf N10 as Aa2 possibly occurred because the compositor was copying a 337 p., 12mo edition imposed in 8s and 4s, whose text began at A1 (i.e. one of the other Peine editions, P5, P6, P7, or P8). Cf. JCB Bibliographical file correspondence.

Signatures: pi1 a⁶ (-a6) B-P¹² (P11a + chi1; a2 verso, P12 verso blank) (a3 missigned a; a4 missigned a2; N10 missigned Aa2; O9 missigned O)

Errors in paging: p. 324 misnumbered 224.

Engraved printer's ornament in title page; head and tail pieces.

Alden, J.E..  European Americana, 747/64.

Palau y Dulcet (2nd ed.) 107093.

Cioranescu, A.  18.s., 31765.

Quérard 3: p. 44.

Weller, E.O.  Falsche Druckorte, 2: p. 120.

Barbier, A.A.  Ouvrages anonymes, 10226.

John Carter Brown Library copy bound in contemporary quarter bound in contemprary calf and with marbled boards; front board semi-detached.

John Carter Brown Library copy purchased with the assistance of the Louisa D. Sharpe Metcalf Fund.

Provenance of the John Carter Brown Library copy: William Morehead Esqr.: armorial bookplate on front pastedown.