By Influence & Desire: The True Story of Three Extraordinary Women - The Grand Duchess of Courland and Her Daughters

xix, [1], 290 pp. 8vo. Family tree precedes text, map of central Europe circa 1812 on endpapers, includes section of illustrations. "Traces the lives of three women whose entangling love affairs, quick wits, and influence with important political and cultural figures played a key role in European history."