Austria as it is or Sketches of Continental Courts by an Eye-Witness

Austria as it is or Sketches of Continental Courts by an Eye-Witness, a book published anonymously in 1828. Its author was discovered in 1864 to be C. Sealsfield. It is not a satirical work, but describes the customs and the mode of life in Austria and other German states, especially those of the courts and aristocracy, and is straightforwardly and sharply critical of corruption, of the secret police, and of the policies of Metternich. A pirate edition in German was published anonymously in 1834 with the title Seufzer aus Oestreich und seinen Provinzen; probably written by A. J. Gross-Hoffinger, it contains new material on northern Italy, based on L'Italie sous la domination autrichienne by Henri (Enrico) Misley. An accurate translation (Österreich, wie es ist) was published in 1919. Sealsfield wrote the book in German and the translation is supposed to have been made in London for the publisher. The original MS. was not preserved and all German and French versions published are translations from the English. A new edition by Primus-Heinz Kucher appeared in 1994.