1837
by Rakenius, Carl; Fitzgerald-de-Ros, Henry
1837. Hamburg: Bei Hoffmann & Campe, 1837. viii, 136 pp.. Hamburg: Bei Hoffmann & Campe, 1837. viii, 136 pp. The Baron Cheated Rakenius, Carl. Fitzgerald-de Ros, Henry, 22nd Baron de Ros, [1793-1839], Defendant. Der Falsche Whistspieler: Oder Injurien-Klage des Lord de Ros gegen John Cumming wegen Beschuldigter Betrugereien im Kartenspiel. Hamburg: Bei Hoffmann & Campe, 1837. viii, 136 pp. Octavo (7" x 4-1/2"). Original printed wrappers, several unopened signatures. Light soiling, a few finger smudges and moderate edgewear, spine abraded, front wrapper partially detached, moderate toning and light foxing to text, light edgewear to half-title. A rare title. $1,650. * Only edition. Henry Fitzgerald-de Ros, 22nd Baron de Ros, one of the finest whist players in England, was involved in a gambling scandal in 1836. He was accused of cheating, which led him to initiate an action for libel. This was not a wise move. The trial showed that Ros cheated. Disgraced, he left England and settled in Rotterdam, where he spent the rest of his life. This trial attracted a good deal of attention. As indicated by this German account, interest in this trial was not limited to England. According to the title page, this work was translated from an English source. We were not able to locate any English equivalent to this work, however. The translated portion of our work is a court report, which is not credited to an original source. It is preceded by an original preface that discusses the case and its background. OCLC locates 2 copies, both in Germany. Schroeder, Lexikon der Hamburgischen Schriftsteller VI:3085. (Inventory #: 65689)