The Arts of Beauty; or, Secrets of a LadyÕs Toilet. With Hints to Gentleman on the Art of Fascinating. By Madame Lola Montez, Countess of Landsfeld. Montez, Lola.

Lola Montez, who was born Marie Dolores Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Lansfeld, (1821-1861) was an Irish actress and dancer. She rose to fame as a ÒSpanish dancerÓ, courtesan, and was the mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria. After arriving in Munich, she met Ludwig I and the two began an affair. She used her political power and influence in favor of liberalism. The king made her Countess of Landsfeld in 1847 and granted her a large annuity. Following the growing revolutionary movement, she fled Germany and eventually relocated to California, where she became a sensation. Her home in Grass Valley is a California historical landmark. The Arts of Beauty discusses: how to obtain a beautiful complexion, prevention of gray hair, how to soften and beautify the hair, the beauty Twelvemo. 132, [12, ads] pp. PublisherÕs light brown pebbled cloth stamped elaborately in blind with central gilt floral pattern and gilt lettering. Gilt spine, brown coated endpapers. Some dampstaining to front cover and lower margins of first twenty leaves. Front hinge loose, but sound. Light foxing throughout. Otherwise, a bright, good copy. First edition of this womenÕs manual of beauty regimes, cosmetics, and hygiene. Also included is the chapter ÒHints to Gentleman on the Art of Fascinating,Ó which consists of tongue-in-cheek advice that men might use to attract women. For example, Montez encourages men to act more feminine, gravitate toward shallow conversation, and to behave rudely while at the table. This humorous tone that pokes fun at gender norms pervades the text, as does MontezÕs wisdom gained from being a much-maligned figure in the global spotlight. The present work and MontezÕs memoir, published in the same year, were both ghostwritten by Charles Chauncey Burr (1817 Ð 1883), a journalist, editor, and friend of Edgar Allan Poe.