Description

[003546] Robinson, G.T. The Betrayal of Metz. London: Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., 1874. First Edition. 8vo. Hardback. Good. x, 378pp, original decorative cloth.

Rubbed, spine slightly dulled, cloth at head of spine slightly split and chipped, corners bumped. Folding map torn and quite heavily ‘repaired’ with sellotape to reverse, small amount of loss to fore edge margin of half-title, several pages opened a little roughly with small chips and a few small tears, but generally clean internally. Folding colour map of the ‘Environs of Metz’.

A ‘new and revised’ edition of the author’s The Fall of Metz [1871], with a post-script containing a summary of the proceedings of the Court-Martial upon Marshal Bazaine.

The author G.[eorge] T.[homas] Robinson was an English architect who was in Metz during the siege. He was also a journalist for the Manchester Guardian, and attempted to send messages to the paper via balloon post, the Guardian website notes “The letters to be transported by balloon were written on small pieces of very thin paper. Tens of thousands of these letters, or papillons, could be attached to each balloon. They were bundled together with a message reading: the person finding this packet, who will take it to the nearest post-office … will receive in exchange a reward of 100 francs”