The Bastille

New York: James Pott & Company, 1901. Two 8vo. volumes, each with its own index. But Indices are identical! 478 pp. and 498 pp. 18 illustrations in vol. I and 16 illustrations in vol. II. Red cloth binding stamped in gold. Red ribbon markers. Top edges gilt. Each volume has a stiff red cloth dust jacket with gold stamped spines to match their books. Ribbon marker in volume I is a little frayed at the end but that is about the extent of damage. These two exquisite volumes, now 120 years old are so beautiful and fresh and bright and untarnished. The sturdy decorative dust jackets have preserved them. Dust jackets were rare in 1901. This is an especially fine set indeed./Jacket condition is fine also.. Binding designed by Margaret Armstrong, with her initials in the bottom right corner of each volume.. The Bastille was the most famous of prisons. Only the Tower of London could be compared with it, and while the Tower has attained a greater age, and has harbored kings, princes, and many of England's most famous sons, yet the Bastille appealed more strongly to the imagination. It seemed the visible symbol of tyranny; mystery hung over the fate of those immured within it; many of them were confined without charge, remained without trial, and suffered without record. In its annals, both romance and history have found abundant material. As is the case with many famous institutions, tradition has somewhat exaggerated its importance. Mr. Bingham tells us that when the Bastille was captured by the Parisian mob, it contained only seven prisoners, obscure and unimportant criminals. It had become no more than an ordinary prison; except as marking the beginning of a Revolution, its overthrow was not deserving of long commemoration. Even in the days when the Bastille was reserved for more dignified offenders, its terrors somewhat diminish as we study history. The most of its inmates were persons of social importance, and they usually had all the comforts that were consistent with restraint. During the reign of Louis XV, many persons famous in literature were sent to the Bastille, in order to manifest the government's disapproval of their views.