[STERNE (The Rev. Laurence)]. The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman. Vol.I [II; III; IV; V; VI; VII; VIII; IX]. The Second Edition [so vols.I, II, and III only]. London: Printed for R. and J. Dodsley in Pall-Mall [so vols. I-IV; vols. V, VI, & IX read: Printed for T. Becket and P.A. Dehondt, In the Strand; vols. VII & VIII read: Printed for T. Becket and P.A. Dehont, [sic] in the Strand]. [so vols. I, II, and IV; vol.III has a semi-colon; the rest have a comma] M.DCC.LX. [M.DCC.LX; M.DCC.LXI; M.DCC.LXI; M DCC LXII; MDCCLXII [sic, in some copies there is an extra C]; M DCC LXV; M DCC LXV; MDCCLXVII [sic].9 Vols., pott 8vo, 1760 - 1767; half-titles present in volumes four, five, six, and nine, not called for in other volumes; initial and final blank not present in volume five; integral copper engraved frontispiece, by S. and F. Ravenet, respectively, after W. Hogarth, present in volumes one and three (being illustrations to volumes two and four, the former so designated in lower margin (the upper margin designating it the ‘Frontispiece Vol.1'), the latter here so designated in upper margin); inserted leaf bearing page numbers, with marbled panel on each side in red, yellow, and grey-green, correctly present between L4 and L5 in volume three; signed by the author at the head of text in volumes five, seven, and nine, as called for; [ ]4, A-I, K-L8, M2; A-I, K-L8, M4; A-I, K-M8, N4; [A]2, B-I, K-O8, P2; [A]3, B-I, K8, L3; [A]2, B-I, K8, L6; [A]1, B-I, K, L8; [A]1, B-I, K8, L6; [ ]2 (here bound in as singletons, []1, the half-title, appearing as a fly-title after the mock-Dedication), a2, B-I, K8, [ ]1; pp.[viii (including frontispiece)]+179+[i (blank)]; [ii]+182; 202; [iv]+146+156-220+[i (blank)]; [vi]+150; [iv]+155+[i (blank)]; [ii]+160; [ii]+156; [viii]+145+[i (blank)]; contemporary full calf, those published by Dodsley being of sprinkled calf, those by Becket and Dehondt of polished natural calf, all spines with five raised bands, numbered on spine and with red lettering-piece, uniformly ruled and lettered gilt, all volumes ruled gilt on sides; sprinkled, burnished, edges; contemporary engraved armorial bookplate of Sir Geo. Cooke, Bart. present on front paste-down in each volume, and his cropped signature present on the upper margin of the title-page in volumes seven, and eight; full sheep slip-case lined with marbled paper. Calf a little cracked over joints in some volumes, and slightly chipped at head or tail of spine in first three; staining to end-papers and some adjacent leaves from turn-over of the calf, and two front end-papers almost invisible strengthened at gutters; small hole in lower margin of M3 in volume three, just affecting one letter of a catch-word; faint stain to lower-margin of D2 verso in volume four; last six leaves in volume six very lightly foxed; a couple of small fox-spots on B2 and B3 in volume eight; otherwise internally fine.

Signed by the author at the head of the first page of text in volumes five, seven, and nine, as usual - a device he adopted to discourage piracies. According to Cross, p.600, the first edition of volumes one and two were published by John Hinxman in York just before Christmas 1759, and by the Dodsleys in London on 1st January 1760, in an edition bearing no publisher's or printer's name and which is said to have consisted of about two hundred copies (Cross, p.194). The second (first London) edition of these volumes was published on 3rd April, and was the first to contain Hogarth's plate (marked above the plate ‘Frontispiece Vol.1' and below the plate, centrally between the names of artist and engraver, ‘Vol.2.page 128'). The Preface was also added in the London edition, which is "in paper, type, and pagination (except for preliminary pages of Vol.I) nearly identical with the first edition" (Cross, p.600). Volumes three and four were first published on January 28th, 1761, with a frontispiece to volume three, again by Ravenet after Hogarth, and again illustrating a scene in the volume following, this being marked as before below the plate (Cross, p.601). The frontispiece to volume three was re-engraved for the second printing by J. Ryland, though in a note on p.602 Cross records the existence of a single known copy of the first edition, in the possession of the late Beverly Chew, with the later frontispiece by Ryland. The first edition of volume three appears to have been printed short, since sets are often found with the first three volumes in the second edition. Volume five, published together with volume six on 21st December, 1761, is here without either the rare preliminary blank present, as in the Ashley Library copy (the only one of the preliminary blanks regarded as genuine by Rothschild, though the Rothschild copy was without it), or the even rarer final blank, present in a copy which passed through our hands some time ago and which was certainly integral. It is possible that neither of these blanks are called for in all copies, since it seems possible at least that the three printed leaves of the prelims. and the three printed leaves of the last gathering in this volume may at some point have been re-arranged in the forme for printing as a half-sheet sm.12mo, and thus saving the two blanks. Volume six has the title-page correctly dated: in a very rare early state it is mis-dated ‘MDCCCLXII'. Volume seven, published with volume eight on 22nd January, 1765, exhibits the first state of the text, the word ‘Gentleman' on the title-page being in small capitals with a large initial capital, and Errata appearing on the verso of the title-page, whilst Chapter XXXIII on leaf I7r, p.125 (Rothschild says, in error, 123), is headed XXXIV, the wrong numeration continuing through to the end of the volume. Volume nine, published 30th January, 1767, is of Nowell-Smith's setting (b) with the catch-word on p.v (here actually iii) being ‘posteri-' and p.vi beginning incorrectly ‘riori' (instead of being divided ‘poste-' and ‘riori' as in his setting (a)). It is not known how many copies were printed of most of the volumes, but Cross, p.625 records a letter from the publisher Becket written to Sterne in France in which he says that 4,000 copies of the first edition of volumes five and six were printed, and this is presumably about the average. Cross, pp.600-603; CBEL, II, p.521; Block, p.225; Rothschild, 1970; Sawyer & Darton, I, pp.278-80; Ashley, V, p.204; Nowell-Smith, Notes & Queries, 1935, II, No.2, p.2.

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