1860 BEARDSLEY DIVORCE CASE. Sensationalized Reporting of New York Elite Infidelity Scandal, &c.

A fascinating example of 19th-century sensational journalism, chronicling the sensational marital breakdown of Alfred and Mary Elizabeth Beardsley. 

The text is classic "De Witt," The publisher specialized in cheap, sensational paperbound literature, dime novels, popular songsters, and sensationalized trial transcripts. The claims of including "all the evidence suppressed by the daily papers," capitalize on 19th century anti-censorship concerns and the near-voyeuristic public demand for all the juicy, unedited details.

A fascinating snapshot of antebellum legal practices surrounding divorce, societal gender roles, double standards regarding marital fidelity, and the rise of commercialized yellow journalism feeding America's growing appetite for true crime and domestic drama.

Report of the Beardsley Divorce Case, Containing the Full and Unabridged Testimony of All the Witnesses, Together with All the Evidence Suppressed by the Daily Papers. New York. Robert M. De Witt. 1860. 83pp.

Good - to fair in later buckram binding, wraps integrated, though tender. Otherewise text solid with some staining to the foredge of the text block as shown.