Histoire De Napoleon I, Lanfrey 1875. This is a five-volume set about Napoleon in French, written by P. Lanfrey and published in Paris by Charpentier and Co between 1870 and 1876. One is a fifth edition, two are seventh editions, and two are eighth editions, and the title in French reads “Histoire De Napoleon Ier Par P. Lanfrey … Paris, Charpentier Et Co, Libraires-Editeurs, 28, Quai Du Louvre, 28, the date, and “Tout droits reserves” [all rights reserved]. (Libraires-Editeurs means booksellers and publishers.) The five volumes are 3/4 bound, with five raised bands, gilt titles on red and black labels and elaborate gilt tooling on the spines, marbled boards and marbled endpapers with the bookplate of William John Robertson, and all the edges are marbled. Volume I (tome premier) has 478 pages of text, followed a table of contents at the rear and was an eighth edition (huitieme edition) published in 1875. Volume II (tome deuxieme) has 510 pages of text and one page of contents at the rear and was also an eighth edition (huitieme edition) published a year later in 1876. Volume III (tome troisieme) has 516 pages of text and a table of contents at the rear, and this was actually part of the seventh edition (septieme edition) published in 1870. The fourth volume (tome quatrieme) has 439 pages of text and a table of contents at the rear, and was also part of the seventh edition (septieme edition) published in 1870, and the fifth volume (tome cinquieme) has two pages preceding the text, then 506 pages of text and two pages of contents (Table) at the rear, and this was part of the fifth edition published in 1875. The two pages that precede the text in the last volume (i - ii) are an apology for taking so long to get this done, but it is important for people to learn from history and not shut their eyes to things, but base their learnings on facts. Pierre Lanfrey (1828 - 1877) was a French historian and politician, and his father was one of Napoleon’s officers. His magnum opus was his Histoire de Napoleon I, the books here, which ceased at the end of 1811 with preparations for the Russian campaign of 1812. The books, based on the emperor's correspondence published in 1858 - 1870, attempted to destroy the legends which had grown up around Napoleon, but in his desire to refute misconceptions and exaggerations of Napoleon's abilities, Lanfrey unduly minimized Napoleon’s military and administrative genius. A staunch republican, he was elected to the National Assembly in 1871, became ambassador at Bern, and life senator in 1875. The books measure 7 1/8 x 4 5/8 in. wide, the bindings are tight and the pages and text are pretty clean, with occasional brown spots in the margins; there are brown spots on the endpapers and the last few pages of the last volume, light rubbing or wear at the crowns and heels and edges of the spines, and at the tips, and an interesting history with a contrarian view of Napoleon. #183 #1630