de Massa, Philippe: Zibeline. v1, 7 Mar 2008
 

From Amazon.com:

Alexandre-Philippe-Regnier de Massa (1831-1911), a soldier, composer and French dramatist and novelist who was born in Paris. He selected the military career and received a commission in the cavalry. He served in the Imperial Guards and took part in the Italian and Franco-German Wars. His Royal-Cravate was represented at the Opera Comique in 1861. He further wrote Zibeline, a most brilliant romance (1892) with an introduction by Jules Claretie; crowned by the Academie Francaise. It is an interesting study of a brilliant and unconventional American girl as seen by the eyes of a clever Frenchman. This odd and dainty little story has a heroine of striking originality, in character and exploits. Her real name is Valentine de Vermont, and she is the daughter of a fabulously wealthy French-American dealer in furs. Amongst his famous works are: Le Service en Campagne (1882), La Cicatrice (1885), Au Mont Ida (1887), Fronsac a La Bastille (1887), La Coeur de Paris (1887), La Czarine and Brouille Depuis Magenta (1888), and La Bonne Aventure (1889).