A Firsthand Account of Napoleon's Journey into Exile By William Warden, Surgeon Aboard the Northumberland - the Ship that Took Napoleon to St. Helena Uncommon 1817 New Haven Edition Warden, William. Complete Title: "Letters Written on Board His Majesty's Ship the Northumberland, and at Saint Helena, in Which the Conduct and Conversations of Napoleon Bonaparte and His Suite, During the Voyage and the First Months of His Residence in that Island, are Faithfully Described and Related." Published by the Journal Office, New Haven, 1817. 12mo, 110 pages. Tan calf spine and attractive brown/blue marbled boards. Good: covers rubbed and edges worn, small brown ink spot to front and small ding to back. Owner inscription to front pastedown, back endpaper missing. Slight paper trimming along bottom margin of three pages and foredge of back flyleaf (does not affect text). Light dampstaining to most pages, foxed throughout, but completely readable, hinges very good, and tightly bound. Warden (1777-1849) was surgeon aboard the Northumberland, the ship that conveyed Napoleon to St. Helena in August-October 1815. He apparently spent many hours in conversation with the deposed emperor and his suite, and later transcribed those conversations into a series of letters. A war of words erupted when the book was published: it was widely reviewed and critiqued by both the pro- and anti- Napoleon camps (particularly considered too sympathetic for an Englishman). Napoleon did know of the book and discussed it with visitors; it may also be the "surgeon's statement" referred to in Byron's poem "The Age of Bronze." Overall a nice copy from the first year of American publication of this important firsthand account. The London and Philadelphia editions are easily found; the smaller New Haven edition appears to be much more uncommon. Category: History