Susanne Schulz-Falster Catalogue Eighteen - International League ...

First and only edition, untraced in the usual bibliographies, of this introduction
to military practice in the form of questions and answers. In twentytwo
chapters all aspects of army life are covered, from the military oath, to
basic tasks like cleaning of rifles, packing of tornister, caring for equipment.
Guard duty and combat duty are explained, as is reconnaissance and the
treatment of POWs or civilians. Further chapters deal with procurement,
the unacceptability of looting, and behaviour on special messenger duty.
The final section covers military ranks and positions, followed by a number
of sample letters and reports. The work is clearly meant to help in the
instruction of basic infantry soldiers, and gives a fascinating insight into
everyday army life.
Not found in any of the usual bibliographies, no copies located in OCLC or
KVK.
The Most Famous Cross-Dresser of the Eighteenth Century
61. [LA FORTELLE, Lieutenant.] La vita militare, politica, e
privata della nobile Zittella la signora d’Eon conosciuta fino all’ anno
1777. sotto il nome di Cavalier d’Eon. Scritta in francese dal Signor de
La Fortelle e trasportata in italiano. Seconda edizione con aggiunte.
Florence, Francesco Pisoni, [Gaetano Cambiagi], 1779. £750
8vo, engraved portrait frontispiece by Cecchi, within elegant frame,
pp. 80; title within typographic border; near contemporary stiff red
pastepaper wrappers; apparently first bound in a volume with page
numbers in ink in top right-hand corner; an attractive copy with
extensive manuscript annotations at the end.
Second enlarged edition of the Italian translation of La Fortelle’s biography
of the Chevalier d’Eon, i.e. Charles-André Eon de Beaumont (1728–1810),
the most famous cross-dresser of the eighteenth century. After living the
first forty-nine years of his life as a man, he spent the next thirty-two years
as a woman. The biography, first published in French the same year, and
possibly written by d’Eon himself, is generally regarded as biased, but
inform ative all the same, especially as numerous documents and letters are
included.
The life story of the Chevalier d’Eon is a fascinating one. Born into
an eminent French family, d’Eon enjoyed an illustrious career as military
officer, diplomat, and spy. He served at various times as a royal censor, a
secretary to the ambassador of the Russian court of the Empress Elizabeth,
a captain of the dragoons under the Maréchal de Broglie during the Seven
Years’ War, and a plenipotentiary minister to England in its aftermath.
When his successor was appointed, he attempted to blackmail the king by
publishing secret diplomatic correspondence. He was finally paid off and
went into exile in England, but was later pardoned.
When rumours began to circulate about his sexuality (a betting pool on
the question was started at the London stock exchange), d’Éon claimed to
be physically not a man, but a woman, and had dressed in man’s clothing
susanne schulz-falster rare books catalogue eighteen
only because of some codicil in his father’s will. He requested official
recognition, and Louis XVI and his court complied, but demanded that
d’Éon dress appropriately and wear women’s clothing. He agreed, especially
when the king granted him funds for a new wardrobe. He lived as a woman
until his death in 1810 – when doctors examined the body after his death,
he was found to have been anatomically a man.
The case of the Chevalier d’Eon attracted Europe-wide attention, and
translations of the original French account were published immediately.
See Gay-Lemonnier III, 1349; Cioranescu 27739.