The Mississippi Bubble: A Memoir of John Law.

The first edition in English of Adolphe Thiers' (1797-1877) classic biography of the Scottish economist John Law (1671-1729), who served as Contrôleur Général des Finances of France during the regency of Louis XV. His scheme to replicate the success of the great European trading companies with his Compagnie d'Occident (given exclusive rights over the French colony of Louisiana) ultimately proved disastrous, leading to his swift resignation and exile in 1720.

Thiers' own political career was much more successful, seeing the journalist and historian serve as the second elected President of France from 1871-1873. His Mississippi Bubble had earlier appeared in an issue of the Encyclopédie progressive, before being published in book-form in 1858.

First edition in English; 8vo (19.5 x 13.5 cm); yellow ads. endpapers, publisher's ads. to rear, 'Story of the South Sea Bubble' news article inserted loosely; publisher's blind-stamped brown cloth, spine lettered in gilt, wear to head and tail caps corners bumped, cloth faded; [4], vii-xii, [3], 16-338, 18, [2]pp.

Dennistoun 19.