Two unsigned first edition books: Leaves from the Journal of Our Life in the Highlands, from 1848 to 1861, and More Leaves from the Journal of A Life in the Highlands, from 1862 to 1882, respectively published in London by Smith, Elder and Co. in 1868 and 1884. Hardcovers bound with green beveled boards and gilt embellishments to the covers and spines, 6 x 8.5, 315 pages and 404 pages; many of the plates in the second volume bear facsimile autographs. Book condition: VG/None, with a bit of foxing throughout, a couple plates detached in the first volume, and ownership inscriptions and annotations to endpapers.
The publication of Queen Victoria's journals in 1858 made her a best-selling author almost immediately. Dedicated to her late husband, Victoria's diary entries detail her Highland holidays at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire, frequented by the royal family since 1848. Writing of mountain adventures, boating, and other outdoor activities, the Queen portrays an idyllic family life far away from the politics and prying eyes of the London public. Her Highland exploits are supplemented with accounts of travels in England and Ireland and yachting expeditions. As Victoria had retreated from public life following the death of Albert, the publication of her journals gave the public access to their monarch in a different form, and the popularity of this book resulted in the subsequent publication, More Leaves from a Journal of a Life in the Highlands in 1884.
