The Literary Life and Correspondence of the Countess of Blessington The Literary Life and Correspondence of the Countess of Blessington 3 Volume Set Series

Following her advantageous second marriage, the famous beauty Marguerite, Countess of Blessington (1789?1849), presided over one of London's most glittering salons, variously attended by Thomas Moore, Disraeli, Bulwer Lytton and Dickens. After her husband's death in 1829, she augmented her income by writing, most notably her Conversations with Lord Byron, which recounted her acquaintance with the poet in Genoa. Despite considerable success, her debt-ridden establishment collapsed in 1849 and Lady Blessington fled to Paris, where she died. This 1855 biography and letters, in three volumes was edited by R. R. Madden (1798?1886), colonial administrator and Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, who had first met the Blessingtons in Naples in 1821. It illuminates the role of the salon hostess and its many financial and emotional pressures. Volume 1 includes an account of her life and literary career, and a brief life of the Count d'Orsay, her long-term companion.

Introduction; 1. Notices of the Earl of Blessington; 2. Departure of the Blessingtons from London, on a continental tour, September, 1822; 3. Byron and the Blessingtons at Genoa; 4. The City and Bay of Naples; 5. Departure from Naples; 6. Return to Paris, in June, 1828; 7. Conversational powers of distinguished persons; 8. The break-up at Gore House; 9. Arrival of Lady Blessington in Paris, in the middle of April, 1849; 10. Notice of the career, literary tastes, and talents of Lady Blessington; 11. Notice of the writings of Lady Blessington; 12. Lines addressed to Lady Blessington by various persons; 13. Notice of Count Alfred d'Orsay; Appendix.