Memoirs of Vidocq, Principal Agent of the French Police, until 1827; and Now Proprietor of the Paper Manufactory at St. Mande, written by himself.; Translated from the French.
London: Whittaker, Treacher and Arnot, 1829. Second edition in English. 12mo. 4 volumes: xxii, 237; xi, 266; xxi, 251; xii, 275 pp. Frontispiece portrait to volume four; general title page as half-title to each volume. Part of the series "Autobiography: A Collection of the Most Instructing and Amusing Lives, being volumes 25 to 28 of that set. Vidocq (1775-1857), a former French criminal, formed an investigative group in 1811 that became the precursor of the Surete, spending the next 15 years as a quasi-private detective cooperating with local law enforcement authorities; his accounts of exploits recorded here influenced later writers, including Hugo, Balzac, Poe, and Doyle. Original green cloth (some splitting to joints), leather spine labels (a little chipped). Good solid copy. (2493). Item #55987
Price: $375.00