The Life of Louis Prince of Condé by Lord Mahon 1846 – Gilt Cloth Provenance
 
The Life of Louis, Prince of Condé, Surnamed “The Great”
By Lord Mahon (Philip Henry Stanhope)
Published by John Murray, Albemarle Street, London, 1846
Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Stamford Street, London
 
Bibliographic Details
 
Published in 1846. Bound in blue cloth with elaborate gilt decoration and gilt borders to boards, and gilt panels, lettering, and fleur-de-lis motifs to the spine. All page edges gilt. viii + 308 pages.
 
Physical Description and Condition
 
Binding:

Original blue gilt-decorated cloth binding. Structurally sound and intact, but showing moderate external wear:
Partial splits along the spine edges
Fraying and small losses to the cloth at head and tail of spine
Light rubbing and general marks to boards
Bumping and minor tears at corners
Slight spine creasing from age and handling
The gilt decoration and edges retain much of their brightness, and the binding remains solid overall.
 
Interior:

Yellow endpapers and pastedowns. Pages are lightly tanned but clean and neat overall, with only occasional light foxing.
Title page with an old vertical tear (repaired, no loss of text). Small inner-margin tears to the front endpaper and page 1 (text unaffected).
Light cracks in the gutter between a few pages and between pastedowns and endpapers, but all pages remain secure.
A prize plate is mounted on the front pastedown.
 
Provenance and Historical Note
 
An especially appealing feature of this copy is its nineteenth-century prize award plate, dated 1871, inscribed:
 
“Awarded to Master Edward Drakes for Arithmetic. Hac olim meminisse juvabit.”
The Latin phrase translates as “One day, this will be pleasing to remember.”

The engraved emblem encircling the image of a grand building reads “Sanctæ Mariæ ad Montem – Præmium,” identifying the book as a school prize from St. Mary’s on the Mount, Walsall (West Midlands, England).
 
St. Mary’s-on-the-Mount was a noted nineteenth-century Roman Catholic school founded alongside the church of the same name. Its motto and seal, used on prize bookplates, reflect the Latin name of the institution. The illustration depicts the imposing Gothic-style school building that stood near the church overlooking Walsall town. Provenance of this nature provides valuable social and educational context, linking the book directly to Victorian Catholic education in England.
 
Content and Historical Context
 
Lord Mahon (later the 5th Earl Stanhope) was a distinguished British historian and statesman.

This biography chronicles the life of Louis II de Bourbon, Prince de Condé (1621–1686) - celebrated French general, strategist, and nobleman known as Le Grand Condé.
Mahon’s work examines Condé’s military campaigns, his role in the Fronde civil wars, and his complex relationship with Cardinal Mazarin and King Louis XIV.
The book blends political insight with literary grace, typical of Mahon’s historical writing style.
 
Dimensions and Weight
 
Approx. 17.4 × 12.3 × 3.3 cm
Approx. weight: 411 g