THE DREYFUS AFFAIR

Hardback. Tr. from the French by Nora Bickley. A nice copy of this classic book on the infamous events surrounding Captain Alfred Dreyfus in a political scandal which divided France in the 1890s and early 1900s. Dreyfus was convicted for treason and sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly having communicated French military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris. He was sent to Devil's Island and placed in solitary confinement. Two years later evidence came to light naming the true culprit, Ferdinand Esterhazy, but high ranking military officials suppressed the evidence and at trial was acquitted. Dreyfus was then tried for a further offence by officers seeking to confirm his conviction. Word of the military frame-up led to a public outcry, led by writer Emile Zola, in 1898 and eventually all accusations against Dreyfus were shown to be baseless. He was exonerated, reinstated in the French Army as a major and he served during the whole of World War 1. A scandalous affair. Illus., Chronological Table, Bibliog. and Index. 432pp. 8vo. h/back. Lightly browned edges. Vg+