Chrysal: or, the Adventures of a Guinea.

London: John Hill, in the Strand, 1767. Third Edition. Hardcover. Very good. 2 vols. Vol 1 (Books 1 & 2): xxiv, 214, [12], 239p. Vol 2 (books 3 & 4): xii, 180, xii, 178p. 17 cm leather volumes with gilt spines that hold the full 4 parts of the novels (2 "volumes" in each book). Ex-library with small library tags pasted in lower corners of front pastedown endpapers in each vol. Boards warped with a curve towards the edges. Polished leather cracked at the front hinge of each volume but hinges remain strong and binding fully intact. Some spotting and browning to pages, but paper is strong and text clear for reading.

Title continues: "Wherein are exhibited several striking Scenes, with curious and interesting ANECDOTES of the most notes Persons in every Rank of Life, whole Hands it passed through, in America, England, Holland, Germany, and Portugal." Charles Johnstone (1719-1800), trained for the law but was prevented from practice due to a severe hearing impairment. The Irish national went on to work for the East India Company and became a successful novelist. Johnstone's best known novel is of a genre unique to the 18th century: the "It" narrative, in which the narrator follows a material object, in this case, a Guinea, in order to satirically explore its social significance on the lives of people in various classes and cultures. First published between 1760-1765, this third edition corrects errors in the first edition and apparently expands the narrative as well.