HISTORY OF A SIX WEEKS' TOUR THROUGH A PART OF FRANCE, SWITZERLAND, GERMANY, AND HOLLAND. With Letters Descriptive of a Sail Round the Lake of Geneva, and of the Glaciers of Chamouni.

First edition, first printing of Mary Shelley's first book. Contemporary half calf over marbled paper covered boards, ruled, decorated and with titles in gilt to the spine. Marbled endpapers. Bookplate of Charles Dodd to the front pastedown. Bound without half title. Pencil ownership inscription and notes concerning the present copy by the author William St Clair to the blank reverse of the front endpaper. An attractive example, the binding square and firm, the upper hinge skillfully refurbished. The contents, with spotting mostly confined to the prelims but occasionally throughout, are otherwise in excellent condition with good margins. Bound with "The Traveller's Guide to France and the Netherlands" by John Sugden, published by T. Boosey in 1817. Half title present, but without the map.

Scarce account of the Shelley's two trips into Europe, in 1814 and 1816. Lowndes 2374; R. Ingpen, Shelley in England p.444: "From the day that Mary joined the lot with Shelley they kept a joint dairy. From this journal (...) Mary compiled a little account of this journey and their later visit to the Continent, which was later published in 1817". Divided into three sections, the text consists of a journal, four letters and a poem. Primarily the work of Mary, it includes several contributions from Percy (including the preface and two letters) but most notably the first publication of his celebrated poem, Mont Blanc. Despite mostly favourable reviews the book sold poorly and when Charles Ollier, the co-publisher, went out of business in 1823, his inventory included 92 copies of the work. William St Clair in his penciled note to the present copy writes "The fact that these two books are bound together in Regency style suggests that this was one of the few copies of the "Six Weeks Tour" which was sold at the time of publication, as distinct from being remaindered later".