An exceedingly rare "memoir" of the Jeffrey Epstein of the early 18th century, Colonel Francis Charteris. I'm having difficulty finding record of any copy outside of this copy and the one existing at the British Library; there are many online versions catalogued, but they all seem to note that they are reproductions of the British Library catalogue. This copy is from the estate of the late magician Ricky Jay, compelete with his stickered ticket.
Charteris was a scoundrel in the worst sense of the word. In 1730, when this work was published, he was tried and convicted of raping one of his servants. But, he was later pardoned.
The rape of his servant was just one in a long list of horrible offenses, many of which are detailed in this book (perhaps, too well... one wonders who wrote this book when reading the excerpts).
Charteris was such a figure of disgusting vice that Hogarth depicted him lecherously watching young women in his series on harlots (Plate 1, standing in the doorway), Swift wrote, "a most infamous, vile scoundrel... as pimp, flatterer or informer", and Pope wrote, "Francis Charters, a man infamous for all manner of vices. When he was an ensign in the army he was drummed out of the regiment for a cheat; he was next banished Brussels and drummed out of Ghent on the same account. After a hundred tricks at the gaming tables he took to lending money at exorbitant interest and on great penalties, accumulating premium, interest, and capital into a new capital, and seizing to a minute when the payments became due; in a word, by a constant attention to the vices, wants and follies of mankind, he acquired an immense fortune. His house was a perpetual bawdy-house. He was twice condemned for rapes, and pardoned; but the last time not without imprisonment in Newgate, and large confiscations. He died in Scotland in 1731, aged 62. The populace at his funeral raised a great riot, almost tore the body out of the coffin, and cast dead dogs, etc., into the grave along with it."
Scarcity and Bibliographic Details -
THe Universal Short Title Catalogue does not have record of this work.
The English Short Title Catalogue (ESTC) is down due to cyber attack, so I'm unable to check that resource.
Worldcat records a number of electronic copies, but all seem to be taken from the British Library copy, and the BL copy is the only hard copy I find reference of - Worldcat OCLC record number 559124773, BL shelfmark 1416.b.13.
I searched the Rare Book Hub. I found that Sotheby's offered this copy in 2021, with an estimate of $1500-2500, but it failed to sell. I bought this copy at Potter's 2024 auction, where it had an estimate of $600-1200. Rare Book Hub records only one other sale, in 1971, also at Sotheby's. Those three offerings are all that Rare Book Hub records.
ESTC number T73618
Physical Attributes -
Needs rebinding. Leather binding. Boards with single gilt fillet frame. Spine with five raised bands; a central gilt medallion to five compartments, one with "Colonel Charteris" in gilt. Measures 11.5 x 19 x 1 cm. Signed in fours (4to).
Pages - title page, 1-62 numbered pages. A blank leaf not present at end.
Collation - Title page (presumably A1), B-H4, I3 (I2 leaf in manuscript, and I4, a blank, missing)
Condition -
See pictures. It would benefit from rebinding; joints/hinges are entirely cracked and the boards are held on by the spine cords. Boards are hard and leather has crazed (cracked) and corners worn through. Spine darkened, with rubbing and loss of gilt and chip at top. Browned 1925 paper clippings pasted to the pastedown and flyleaf... also ticket of magician Ricky Jay and "G109" shelfmark. Verso of flyleaf has old ink inscription of a Charteris account and a bookseller's note, "very scarce...". Title page mounted in a border, thumbed, foxed, with evidence of creasing, and graphite name of Francis Charteris filled in. Book toned, foxed and thumbed throughout. Some odd correction marks on page 22. 2" repaired tear from top of F2. Leaf I2 (59-60) replaced, in manuscript. Leaf I3 is mounted (last printed leaf). Leaf I4, a blank, is not present.