Lady Mary's husband was appointed ambassador to the Porte in 1716, and she accompanied him to Constantinople. During her sojourn in Turkey the author recorded her observations and experiences in a journal which provided material for her letters which she composed a few years later after her return to England. These are not actual letters but provide the substance of her life abroad and her opinions on Turkish life and customs.

First collected edition; 5 vols, 8vo, engraved portrait frontispiece (lightly spotted),10 facsimile letters (most folding), contemporary crimson half calf gilt, covers ruled in gilt, spines in six compartments, green morocco labels to second and third, others richly gilt, raised bands, marbled sides and edges, a fine set.