20 - ANTOMMARCHI (François Carlo)

ANTOMMARCHI (François Carlo) Paris, Barrois l’aîné, 1825. Memoirs of Dr. F. Antommarchi, or The Last Moments of Napoleon. 2 vols. in-8 (20.2 x 12.5 cm), red grained Bradel binding, gilt fleurons at the corners and in the center of the covers, spine decorated with gilt motifs (publisher’s binding). First edition. Two frontispieces engraved on copper by Boulet and Couché. The second volume contains a Sketch of the Flora of Saint Helena. Author’s signature attesting to the authenticity of the edition. François Carlo Antommarchi (1780–1838) served as Napoleon’s physician from 1819 until his death in 1821. A native of Corsica like the Emperor, he accepted this position at the request of Napoleon’s mother and uncle. He arrived on Saint Helena to replace Dr. Barry Edward O’Meara. After Napoleon’s death, he wrote these Memoirs, in which he identifies the cause of the Emperor’s death as stomach cancer. The cardboard binding is slightly worn; a few foxing spots. Excludes the rare album, which is rarely found. Provenance A Parisian bookstore in the 1980s. Bibliography Quérard, I, 73.