Smith, Alexander, Captain [pseud.],
The secret History of the Lives of the Most Celebrated Beauties (J. Brown/ J. Graves/ J. Morphew, 171[5])

THE| SECRET HISTORY| OF THE| LIVES| OF THE| Most celebrated Beauties, Ladies| of Quality, and Jilts, from Fair| ROSAMOND down to this pre-|sent Age.| WITH| Their private Amours and Intrigues| with several Kings, Noblemen, and| other eminent Persons noted in Great-|Britain.| [rule]| By Captain ALEXANDER SMITH, Au-|thor of the History of Highway-men,| Foot-pads, and other Robbers, for Fifty| Years past.| [rule]| Printed for J. BROWN without Temple| Bar, J. GRAVES next WHITE's| Chocolate-House in St. James's Street, and| J. MORPHEW near Stationers-Hall, 171 .

Description

blank page in verso: advertisement for the third edition of: Alexander Smith, History of the Lives of the most noted High-way-men, 1-3 (London: J. Morphew/ A. Dodd [published after 1714 and before 1719])/ title page/ [8] pp. preface/ [12] pp. "Table" alphabetical/ p.1-262/ 12°.

Shelf-marks

{12: Biogr.c.306.k [former owner: Larance Holgate]} {NA:IU: x823.Sm5121s 1715}.

Bibliographical Reference

ESTC: n036767.

Author

Smith, Alexander, Captain, pseud., cf. preface to The Second Volume of the History of the Lives of the Most Notorious High-way-men (London: J. Morphew/ A. Dodd, 1714).

The title is connected with the editions of:

• Smith, Alexander, The History of the Most Noted Highway-Men (London: J. Morphew/ A. Dodd, 1714).
• Lucas, Theophilius, Memoirs of the Lives, Intrigues and Comical Adventures of the most Famous Gamesters (London: J. Brown/ F. Burleigh, 1714).
• Smith, Alexander, Captain, The Comical and Tragical History of the most noted Baylifis in and about London and Westminster (London: Printed for S. Briscoe, 1723).
• Johnson, Charles, Captain, A General History of the Robberies and Murders Of the most notorious Pyrates, and also their Policies, Discipline, and Government from their first Rise and Settlement in 1717 to the present year, with the Adventures of the two Female Pyrates, Mary Read and Anne Bonny (London: Printed for C. Rivington, J. Lacy, and J. Stone, 1724).

History of Publication

	a	The secret History of the Lives of the Most Celebrated Beauties (J. Brown/ J. Graves/ J. Morphew, 171[5]) [Written after Feb. 1713 (cf. pp.169/ 255/ 266); published after 1714 (note the advertisement for a third edition of the Most noted High-way-men being just published, the second appeared in 1714) and before 1716 (see the book with the new title appearing in 1716).]
	b	The School of Venus, or, Cupid Restor'd to Sight (London: J. Morphew/ E. Berrington, 1716). [Same pagination.]
	2.a	The Second Volume of the Court of Venus (London: J. Baker/ R. Burleigh, 1716).
	1-2.c	Court Intrigues: or, An Account of the Secret Amours of our British Nobility and Others, with the most celebrated Beauties, and most famous Jilts, from the Restoration to the Present Time. Printed and sold by the Booksellers of London and Westminster (1730).

German - attributed to J. L. Rost (Meleaton) by Weber/ Mithal (1983), p.181, and G. Dünnhaupt:

B.

a

Leben und Thaten derer berühmtesten Englischen Coquetten und Maitressen (London: J. Franck, 1721).

Self-classification

Title: "Secret History" - Singular, yet without a continuous narration or narrative frame.

Remarks

Collection of "Histories": women become prostitutes, rise and fall. The tone ranges from a sermon's moral justification to satire making fun of famous prestigeous mistresses; novellistic with histories of the lower mode, serious only at the end with a heroine becoming the mistress of a high-ranking man.

Literature

J. J. Richetti (1969), p.39 ff.

o.s.