Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
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This is the ROBERT TEMPLE BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE. It contains descriptions and notes relating to almost 18,000 titles in the fields of British and American literature, being the bulk of the stock that has passed through our hands since 1984, with the addition of a few earlier items of especial interest. Books currently in stock are not included, and it is therefore necessary to supplement your search by looking at our Current Catalogues. For the most part full bibliographical descriptions are given, though for some earlier items, catalogued when computing space was more restricted the details given are quite brief. For an account of the conventions adopted, the abbreviations used, and reference sources consulted, please see our information pages.
Please note: The arrangement here is the same as that adopted in our current catalogues, and as there our larger files are presented in sections for ease of downloading. At the end of each section you are invited to browse the next. |
ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
H. (L.). The Old corner house. By L.H., Author of "A Mother's Idol". In two volumes. Kegan Paul, Trench & Co., 1, Paternoster Square, 1885. 2 Vols.; leaf blank but for signature mark ‘I [II]. a' precedes half-title in each volume; identical single inset advertisement leaf (with blank verso) at end of each volume, on text-paper, and almost certainly integral (v. note); pp.[viii]+287+[i (blank)]+[?ii]; [viii]+316+[?ii]; diagonally very fine ribbed scarlet cloth, blocked with publisher's monogram black on back cover, ruled black on sides and spine, ruled and lettered gilt on spine; t.e. uncut, lower-edges mainly trimmed; end-papers coated black. Upper fore-corners of boards very lightly damp-marked; ownership signature on front blank in each volume; otherwise a fine copy.
Not in Sadleir; Wolff, 7641B, erroneously stating that the advertisement leaf at end of volume one is integral, that at the end of volume two inserted. In fact the final gatherings of text in the two volumes consist respectively of eight and six leaves, the two leaves of advertisements being printed, presumably, conjugate with the latter, completing the full sheet.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HABBERTON (John).]. The Barton experiment. By the author of "Helen's Babies". Illustrated Edition. William Mullan and Son, 34 Paternoster Row London; 4 Donegal Place Belfast, 1877. Frontispiece with tissue guard, and three plates by I [?or J]. Jellicoe; pp.[iv]+176; diagonally fine ribbed yellow-green cloth, blocked and ruled black on back cover, blocked pictorially black and gilt, lettered black, on front cover, ruled and blocked black and gilt, lettered gilt and yellow-green through gilt up spine; top- and fore- edges uncut, lower-edges rough trimmed; end-papers coated grey-chocolate. A little very light foxing and dusting, but in general a nice copy.
The dearest of four editions published in England in 1877, the same year as the first American printing, the present volume being issued at 2/6d as against 1/-each for those of Sampson Low (which may have been an importation), Routledge, and Ward, Lock. Precedence not determined, but the English Catalogue lists the Mullen edition second, after that of Low, and it does, at any rate, exhibit a totally different setting of the text from that of the American edition (Wright, 2342), which may entitle it to the status of the first English edition printed in England (in fact at Ipswich [Suffolk]). There is no list of plates, but they are marked to face pp.94, 108, and 136, and are here so bound in. In the present copy, l.7, p.15, has the reading ‘stur' for ‘stir'; l.10 has the first ‘e' in ‘leave' broken; and l.24 a bold face ‘t' in ‘this'; p.27, l.9, has the reading ‘Want' for ‘What'; p.107, l.8, has a broken ‘e' in ‘the', whilst at l.10 the first ‘e' in ‘Tappelmines's similarly broken; there is a broken ‘f' in ‘myself' at l.7, and in ‘of' at l.15 on p.125, and also in ‘himself' at l.17 on p.128. It would be difficult to imagine that a novel concerned seriously and exclusively with the effects of a church temperance crusade in a small American (Kentucky) township could be other than dull: this manages, however, to be both readable and entertaining. Utopian in tendency, but not formally so. Apparently the author's second book.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). She: A history of adventure. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1887. Double-spread full colour frontispiece; Contents page with advertisement for Allan Quatermain on verso; integral advertisement leaf at end; very dark green bevelled smooth cloth, blocked and lettered gilt on front cover and spine, ruled gilt on spine; t.e. uncut, fore-edges rough-trimmed; end-papers printed with swan and ship pattern in light olive brown. A crisp, fine, copy. Scarce thus.
Sadleir, 1092; Wolff, 2881; Scott 5. First English edition. The first issue, with the misprint ‘Godness me' at l.38, p.269. In all, 10,000 copies were printed.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Jess. London, Smith, Elder, & Co., 15 Waterloo Place, 1887. (All rights reserved). 8pp. integral advertisements at end (signed ‘Z'); pp.viii+336+[viii]; diagonally fine-ribbed scarlet cloth, ruled, blocked, and lettered black on front cover, ruled and lettered gilt on spine, ruled blind on back cover; a.e. uncut; end-papers printed with leaf and flower design in grey. Almost imperceptible foxing to uncut fore-edges; armorial bookplate on front end-paper; otherwise a virtually fine copy. Scarce thus.
This title not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2861; Scott, 6. One of only 2,000 copies. There were at least two binding batches, otherwise similar copies also being known in cloth of a crimson colour, without the rules on the back cover, with the fore-edges rough-trimmed and the lower-edges trimmed.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Jess. London, Smith, Elder, & Co., 15 Waterloo Place, 1887. (All rights reserved). 8pp. integral advertisements at end (signed ‘Z'); pp.viii+336+[viii]; diagonally fine-ribbed crimson cloth, ruled, blocked, and lettered black on front cover, ruled and lettered gilt on spine; t.e. uncut, fore- edges lightly trimmed; end-papers printed with leaf and flower design in grey. A crisp, and virtually fine, copy. Scarce thus.
This title not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2861; Scott, 6. One of only 2,000 copies. There were at least two binding batches, otherwise similar copies also being known in cloth of a scarlet colour, with blind rules on the back cover, and with the fore- lower- edges untrimmed.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Allan Quatermain: Being an account of his Further adventures and discoveries In company with Sir Henry Curtis, Bart., Commander John Good, R.N. And one Umslopogaas. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1887. Wood engraved portrait frontispiece and nineteen plates; numerous illustrations in the text; bevelled slate purple buckram lettered gilt on front cover and spine, ruled and blocked gilt on spine; top-edges uncut, others rough trimmed; blue grey coated end-papers printed in brown. Some wear to covers; otherwise a nice copy.
Sadleir 1079; this edition not in Wolff; Scott, 7.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Colonel Quaritch, V.C. A tale of country life. In three volumes. Longmans, Green and Co., 1888. Final blank in volume three; scarlet diagonally fine ribbed cloth, lettered black on spine and front cover; uncut edges. Some wear to head and tail of spines, and spines very slightly darkened; a little, very slight, marking of covers, chiefly affecting volume three; two back end-papers a little cracked; contemporary ownership inscription at head of each title-page, and on each front paste-down; otherwise a very nice copy.
Sadleir 1084; Wolff, 2850; Scott, 12.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Maiwa's revenge; Or, The war of the little hand. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1888. 16pp. inserted publisher's catalogue at end dated June 1888; black cloth lettered scarlet on front cover and spine; top- and fore- edges uncut, lower-edges mainly trimmed; white end-papers printed with ship and swan pattern in light brown. Slight damp-cockling of some lower margins; otherwise, and in general effect, a nice copy.
The more expensive issue, published at 2/6d. This title not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2868; Scott 10. 30,000 sets of sheets were printed, divided between the two issues.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Maiwa's revenge; Or, The war of the little hand. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1888. Sm.cr.8vo; pp.[viii]+216; greenish grey boards, ruled dark red on back cover, lettered dark red on sides and spine. Spine slightly darkened; light foxing of first and last few leaves; an unusually nice copy, nonetheless.
The cheaper issue, published at 2/-. This title not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2868a; Scott 10. 30,000 sets of sheets were printed, divided between the two issues.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Eric Brighteyes. With numerous illustrations By Lancelot Speed. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1891. Blank before half-title; sixteen inserted plates, and uncounted illustrations on text-paper (if the publisher couldn't count them, why should we!); publisher's inserted 16pp. catalogue at end, dated 12/90; bevelled dark green smooth cloth, lettered gilt on front cover, lettered, and with short rule, gilt, on spine; t.e. uncut, fore-edges rough-trimmed; end-papers coated black. Small neat restorations to cloth at extreme head of spine; otherwise a nice copy.
Sadleir, 1087, describing the cloth colour as ‘navy-blue'; in the present copy it is definitely green. Wolff, 2853; Scott, 17. 10,000 copies were printed.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). The People of the mist. New York, Longmans, Green, and Co., 15 East Sixteenth Street, 1894. Frontispiece with tissue guard, and fifteen plates, by Arthur Layard; 16pp. publisher's catalogue at end advertising this title as "Shortly"; light green linen, blocked bright brown, lettered gilt, on front cover and spine, blocked white and gilt on front cover. A very good copy.
First American edition. The design of the binding is one of extreme eccentricity.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Joan Haste. With 20 illustrations by F.S. Wilson. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1895. Post 8vo; blank before half-title; frontispiece and nineteen plates; integral blank, followed by 24pp. publisher's inserted catalogue at end, dated July, 1895; bevelled very dark green smooth cloth, lettered gilt on front cover, lettered and with short rule gilt on spine; end-papers coated black. Scattered very light foxing, but a in general a nice copy.
This title not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2862; Scott, 27. 10,000 copies were printed.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H.Rider). Heart of the world. Longmans, Green, and Co., London, New York, and Bombay, 1896. Half-title not called for; half-tone frontispiece with tissue guard and fourteen plates, on text-paper but not included in the pagination; advertisements on verso of last leaf of text; pp.[vi]+347+[i]; publisher's inserted 24pp. Catalogue at end, dated ‘50,000-12/95'; bevelled very dark green smooth cloth, lettered gilt on front cover, lettered and with short rule gilt on spine; end-papers glazed greenish-black. Cloth of spine very slightly faded; otherwise a virtually fine copy. One of the more difficult titles in this state.
With the earliest date of the advertisements. This edition not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2857; Scott, 25. 10,000 copies were printed.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Dr. Therne. Longmans, Green, and Co., 39 Paternoster Row, London, New York and Bombay, 1898. Blank before half-title; imprint leaf at end; pp.[2]+[x]+353+[i (blank)]+[ii]; light brown linen lettered brown on front cover, blocked brown, blocked and lettered gilt, on spine; cream coated end-papers printed with ship and swan pattern in brown. Slight bowing of spine; first gathering, and last three leaves foxed; otherwise a very nice copy.
Sadleir, 1086; Wolff, 2852; Scott, 17. The first issue, later copies having white end-papers. In all, 10,000 copies were printed.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Dr. Therne. Longmans, Green, and Co., 39 Paternoster Row, London, New York and Bombay,, 1898. Blank before half-title; imprint leaf at end; pp.[2]+[x]+353+[i (blank)]+[ii]; light brown linen lettered brown on front cover, blocked brown, blocked and lettered gilt, on spine. Old ownership signature on half-title page; otherwise a good copy.
Sadleir, 1086; Wolff, 2852; Scott, 17: all recording the first issue, having end-papers printed with a ship and swan pattern in brown. The present copy is a variant with white end-papers.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAGGARD (H. Rider). Swallow: A tale of the great trek. Longmans, Green, and Co., 39 Paternoster Row, London; New York and Bombay, 1899. Sm.cr.8vo; blank before half-title; half-tone frontispiece after Maurice Greiffenhagen, with tissue guard, and seven plates; pp.[2]+[x]+348; bevelled midnight blue smooth cloth, lettered gilt on front cover, lettered, and with short rule, gilt, on spine; end-papers coated black. Some foxing; otherwise a fine copy.
Scott, 31; Sadleir, 1093, recording a copy without the initial blank, and with pp.v-[vi] (the dedicatory letter) a single inset leaf. In the present copy, pp.v-vi] is conjugate with the blank, the following pair of leaves, pp.[vii]-[x], being a conjugate pair. Wolff, 2885, recording a copy with the blank. We suspect the Sadleir copy, though apparently fine, of being defective. In the present copy, the comma following ‘LONGMANS' on the title-page, the publisher's London address after the ‘3', the ‘N' of ‘NEW YORK' and the ‘MB' of ‘BOMBAY' have printed very faintly. This is an effect we have not otherewise observed.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HALEY (William Thomas). Mysteries Of the Old castles of France, Or Secret intrigues Of the Kings and queens, princes and princesses, And other great personages of the times. By a society of arch seers, Under the direction of A.B. Le Francois. Translated by William Thomas Haley. Author of "Douglas d'Arcy," "Cleveland," "The Hebrew Talisman," &c. Published by W. Strange, 21, Paternoster Row; E. Dipple, 42, Holywell Street; And all booksellers. N.D. [1848]. Med.8vo, signed and gathered in fours; pp.[xii (including frontispiece: paged x)]+348, printed in double columns; wood engraved frontispiece and numerous (often excellent) illustrations in the text, some early ones signed Walmsley; reddish-brown fine-diaper cloth over thin boards, blocked blind on sides and spine, ruled, blocked, and lettered gilt up spine; yellow coated end-papers; top- and fore- edges uncut. Spine chipped and restored at head and tail, darkened, patchily faded, and worn a little over joints, but still strong; gilt oxydised; front end-papers cracked, and somewhat marked; a very little dusting and fingering, mostly marginal, but the text in general nice.
The bound issue of a ‘penny dreadful' published also in 44 numbers. The casing is very much too light for the volume, and despite the faults recorded of the present copy, it is surprising that it should have survived at all in such acceptable condition as it has. Not in Sadleir or Wolff. According to Block (p.13), written by A. Bailey. Block gives the publisher as Strange. Summers, p.434, gives the publisher as E. Dipple. In the present copy the first letter of each of the last three lines in the first column on p.129 has dropped considerably below the line, as in every copy we have seen. A minor binding variant, copies also being known in puce vertically fine-ribbed cloth with a blind-ruled frame as well as blocking on the sides.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HALIBURTON (Thomas Chandler).]. The Clockmaker; Or, The sayings and doings Of Samuel Slick, Of Slickville. Philadelphia: Carey, Lea, and Blanchard, 1838. 12mo, printed in half sheets; half-title not called for; binder's blank precedes title-page, another follows last leaf of text; pp.[180]; original quarter black glazed linen, paper spine label, grey board sides. Covers used; otherwise a nice copy.
First published at Halifax, Nova Scotia, in December, 1836. A note by the Canadian publisher, included in this copy, states that the first twenty-one of the thirty-three chapters ‘originally appeared in the "Nova Scotian" Newspaper. The great popularity they acquired, induced the Editor of that paper to apply to the Author for the remaining part of the series, and permission to publish the whole entire.' The original Halifax edition is now distinctly scarce. Two further volumes were issued later. The first American edition.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HALIBURTON (Thomas Chandler).]. The clockmaker; Or The sayings and doings Of Samuel Slick, Of Slickville. London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1838. Lge.12mo; half-title not called for; pp.xii+329+[i (blank)]; [a]2, b4, B-I, K-O12, P9 [P1 being a single inset]; original light drab boards, paper spine label; a.e. uncut. Small, neat, contemporary signature on extreme upper margin of title-page; otherwise a near fine copy.
First published at Halifax, Nova Scotia, in December, 1836. A note by the Canadian publisher, included in this copy, states that the first twenty-one of the thirty-three chapters ‘originally appeared in the "Nova Scotian" Newspaper. The great popularity they acquired, induced the Editor of that paper to apply to the Author for the remaining part of the series, and permission to publish the whole entire.' The original Halifax edition is now distinctly scarce; this first English edition by no means common - particularly in nice original state. Two further volumes were issued later. The first English edition. Not in Sadleir or Wolff. The omitted leaf, P10, was probably the label leaf.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HALIBURTON (Thomas Chandler).]. The clockmaker; Or The sayings and doings Of Samuel Slick, Of Slickville. Second series. Richard Bentley, 1838. Lge.12mo; half-title not called for; slip of pink paper tipped in after Dedication excised from this copy, leaving a trace; half roan, cloth sides. Front board detached; a little dusting and foxing; one margin restored; in general a very good copy.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HALIBURTON (Thomas Chandler).]. The clockmaker; Or The sayings and doings Of Sam. Slick, of Slickville. To which is added, The bubbles of Canada, By the same author. Paris, Baudry's European Library, Rue du coq, near the Louvre, 1839. Demy 8vo; half/series title; fly-title to the second work; pp.[4]+vi+[422]; contemporary maroon half morocco-faced basil, cloth sides; t.e.g. Slight general wear to leather; scattered light foxing; otherwise a nice copy.
First Paris edition of both works. ‘The Clockmaker' was first published at Halifax, Nova Scotia, early in 1837, ‘The Bubbles of Canada' in England in January 1839, under the less puzzling title ‘Bubbles from Canada'.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HALIBURTON (Thomas Chandler).]. The clockmaker; Or The sayings and doings Of Sam. Slick, of Slickville. To which is added, The bubbles of Canada, By the same author. Paris, Baudry's European Library, Rue du coq, near the Louvre, 1839. Demy 8vo; bound up without the half/series title; fly-title to the second work present; contemporary half vellum, olive green label, ruled gilt, marbled boards; burnished edges. Scattered light foxing; otherwise a nice copy.
First Paris edition of both works. ‘The Clockmaker' was first published at Halifax, Nova Scotia, early in 1837, ‘The Bubbles of Canada' in England in January 1839, under the less puzzling title ‘Bubbles from Canada'.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HALIBURTON (Thomas Chandler).]. The Clockmaker; Or The sayings and doings Of Samuel Slick, Of Slickville. Third series. Richard Bentley, 1840. Lge.12mo; engraved frontispiece with tissue guard, and four plates, all on text paper; vertically ribbed burgundy cloth, blocked blind on sides, ruled blind, lettered and with short rule gilt on spine; a.e. uncut; end-papers coated yellow. Spine, and edges of back cover somewhat faded; a very little scattered foxing, more or less confined to plates and facing leaves; an exceptionally nice, bright copy, nonetheless.
Not in Sadleir. There is no list of plates, but they face pp.34, 45, 92, and 203.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HALIBURTON (Thomas Chandler). The Old judge; Or, Life in a colony. By the author of "Sam Slick, The Clockmaker," "The attache," &c. In two volumes. Henry Colburn, Publisher, Great Marlborough Street, 1849. 2 Vols., lge.12mo; half-titles not called for; 2pp. integral advertisements at end of volume one, 4pp. at end of volume two; pp.[xii]+[322]+[ii]; [iv]+[316]+[iv]; old half-calf, board sides; leather of spines decayed, and two boards detached, but sewing entirely sound and strong; moderate dusting and marking throughout, but a good working copy of one of the least common Haliburton titles.
Not in Sadleir.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
[HALIBURTON (Thomas Chandler).]. Nature and human nature. By The author of "Sam Slick, the Clockmaker," Etc. etc. Hurst and Blackett, Publishers, Successors to Henry Colburn, 15, Great Marlnorough Street, N.D. [1865]. Steel engraved frontispiece by I.H. Baker after John Leech, with tissue guard; 8pp. integral advertisements followed by 4pp. inserted series advertisements at end; pp.[2]+vi+344+[viii]; dark purple ripple grain cloth, ruled and blocked blind on sides, blocked and lettered gilt on front cover, ruled, blocked, and lettered gilt, lettered blind through gilt, on spine; t.e. uncut; end-papers coated pale yellow. Very slight wear to extreme head and tail bands, and very slight damp-staining to upper margin of plate; otherwise a fine copy, partly unopened.
Issued as Vol I. in the series ‘Hurst & Blackett's Standard Library', the inserted advertisements here listing the series to volume XXX. Sadleir, 3746, gives a general notice of this series, listing two binding styles, but not precisely this one, which appears to represent a (probably) earlier variant of his second, the cloth being deep purple ripple-grain and not the more usual grey-violet morocco grain.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HALIFAX (M.C.). Among The Welsh hills. London: Groombridge and Sons, [6, Panyer Alley, Paternoster Row,] 1883. Globe 8vo; half-title not called for; wood-engraved frontispiece printed in grey and black; pp.[ii]+297+[i (advertisements)]; publisher's inserted 8pp. catalogue at end, on tinted paper; diagonally fine ribbed brown cloth, ruled and blocked blind on back cover, blocked black, blocked and lettered gilt, on front cover and spine; a.e.g.; end-papers printed florally in grey; binder's ticket of ‘W. Greening, 183 Fleet Street' on back end-paper. Slight marking of back cover; front end-papers cracked and slightly chipped at joint; otherwise a nice copy.
An early reprint: the first edition was dated 1878. Not in Sadleir or Wolff. The rare binder's ticket is Ball, 40.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HALL (Mrs. S.C.). Midsummer Eve: A fairy tale Of Love. Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1848. Narrow f'cap 4to; wood-engraved half-title, and frontispiece, precede vignette title-page with loose tissue guard; eleven plates; numerous illustrations in the text; final blank; Royal blue ripple grain cloth, ruled blind, elaborately blocked blind and gilt, lettered gilt, on sides, lettered and elaborately blocked gilt on spine; a.e.g.; end-papers coated yellow; colour co-ordinated binder's ticket of ‘Bone & Son, 76, Fleet Street' on back pastedown. One gathering slightly proud, but not loose; otherwise a virtually fine copy of a beautiful book.
Lightly tipped in at the blank opening between the half-title and the frontispiece in this copy is a letter from Mrs. Hall, one side, small 8vo (c.50 words), inviting the recipient to a celebration of her husband's birthday on the 9th May. An evident precursor of the ‘sixties book. Illustrators include Maclise, Clarkson Stanfield, W.E. Frost, J. Noel Paton, Frederick Goodall, Landseer, E.H. Wehnert, R. Huskisson, Kenny Meadows, F.W. Fairholt, J. Franklin, Harrison Weir, F.W. Hulme, J. Lecurieux, etc., etc.; engravers include W.T. Green, G. and E. Dalziel, J. Bastin, etc.; the initial letters were designed by T.R. Macquoid, and the covers were designed by J. Marchant; the name of Bone & Son, as binders, appears at the foot of the List of Illustrators as well as on their binder's ticket on the back paste-down. This volume provides a rare example of the designer of the cover and the binder receiving credits in the text. Ball, ‘Victorian Publisher's bindings', p.89. This title not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2915, recording only the Hotten reprint of 1870.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HALL (Mrs. S.C.). Grandmamma's pockets. Edinburgh: William and Robert Chambers, 1849. Sm.sq.8vo; half- or series- title apparently not called for; engraved frontispiece by D. Millar; title-page printed in red and black; pp.[ii]+158. BOUND WITH: MORITZ (Gustav). Duty and affection. A tale. Edinburgh: William and Robert Chambers, 1850. Sm.sq.8vo; series title misbound between pp.12 and 13; half-title not called for; engraved frontispiece after Swanston; title-page printed in red and black; pp.[vi]+162; two volumes uniform, bound together in half green calf, marbled sides, spine tooled gilt and blind. Calf rubbed; a fine pair internally.
Issued as volumes in "Chambers's Library for Young People".
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HALSE (George). A salad Of Stray leaves. With a frontispiece By the late Hablot K. Browne. Longmans, Green, and Co., 1882. Post 8vo; wood-engraved frontispiece with tissue guard; 4pp. integral advertisements at end; pp.viii+444+[iv]; diagonally fine ribbed pale green cloth, blocked pictorially deep yellow-green and gilt, lettered gilt, on front cover, blocked deep yellow-green, lettered gilt, on spine; end-papers printed with flower and leaf design in dark brown. Slight general fading of cloth; otherwise a fine copy.
Ingenious and good-humoured stories, intermixed with verse, by an author better known under his pseudonym of ‘Rattlebrain'. The frontispiece, commissioned from ‘Phiz' shortly before his death, was the last drawing executed by him. Not in Wolff.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAMILTON (Elizabeth). Memoirs Of the Life of Agrippina, The Wife of Germanicus. By Elizabeth Hamilton, Author of "Letters on the Elementary Principles of Education;" &c. &c. In three vols. Bath, printed by R. Cruttwell [St.James's-Street]; For G. and J. Robinson, Pater-noster-row, London, 1804. 3 Vols., lge.post 8vo; half-title in each volume, integral, but not included in the pagination of first two volumes; pp.[ii]+xxxviii+319+[i (blank)]; [ii]+[vi]+340; viii+352; original buff boards, a.e. uncut. Beautifully rebacked with matching paper; some foxing to end-papers and light foxing to final leaves in volume two; otherwise a fine copy.
Chiefly of interest for the extended theoretical defence of ‘faction' which occupies much of the lengthy Preface - possibly involving the earliest definition of the genre: "The characters in a work of imagination may . . . be drawn in exact conformity to nature, and placed in such situations as to afford a striking illustration of certain truths; but how are those who are little accustomed to make observations on human life to judge of the genuineness of the representation? . . . Hence arises the advantage which the biographer possesses over the novelist. Amusement is expected by the reader from both; but in sitting down to peruse the memoirs of a fellow being, in whose past existence we have assurance . . . the expectation of amusement is chastened by the solemnity of the ideas attached to truth. . . . Every individual, however high his intellectual endowments, is impelled by passions . . . Without a complete display of these, the delineation will remain imperfect; and yet completely to delineate them is not in human power; . . . If he go to former ages in quest of materials [the biographer] can only hope to find them in the page of history; and the transactions that are there recorded, will, in the opinion of many, appear too far removed from the occurrences of common life . . ." etc. Not in Sadleir; this title not in Block or Wolff; Summers, p.59 recording only the edition of 1811 (in two volumes); CBEL, III, p.398. The book as issued was hollow-backed, the spines consisting of a piece of thin card wrapped around the edges of the boards, and together with them, covered with a sheet of ivory paper. There were no spine labels. Enough of one of the original spines (detached along one joint and chipped vertically along its whole length) remained to make this certain. The rebacking here has followed the original plan, and reproduces the appearance of the original, though the new spines have in fact been strengthened internally with cloth.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAMILTON (Lord Ernest). The Outlaws of the Marches. London, T. Fisher Unwin, Paternoster Square, 1897. Lge.post 8vo; half-tone frontispiece with tissue guard, and eight plates; title-page printed in red and black; 12pp. integral advertisements at end (the first two leaves conjugate with the final gathering of text, the rest continuing a lettered sequence begun with those); vertically ribbed dark green cloth, lettered gilt within gilt ruled boxes on spine; t.e.g., others rough trimmed. Fine copy.
Not in Sadleir; Wolff, 2943, describing the advertisements as though they are inserted, which they are not: the first two leaves are part of the final gathering of text, the first page being a fly-title to the catalogue, the second beginning a lettered sequence of pages, which is continued throughout, ‘a' - ‘l'. The last four leaves of the advertisements, therefore, are certainly integral, and were presumably printed conjugate with the prelims., completing the full sheet.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAMILTON (Lord Ernest). The Outlaws of the Marches. T. Fisher Unwin, Paternoster Square, 1897. Lge.post 8vo; frontispiece, and eight plates; vertically ribbed green cloth, lettered gilt within gilt ruled boxes on spine; t.e.g., others rough trimmed. Front free end-paper renewed with matching paper; half-title not present and probably excised; two advertisement leaves excised at end; otherwise a fine copy.
A totally anomalous copy: the front free end-paper and the half-title leaf may possibly have been cut away to remove inscriptions, but one can imagine no reason for the removal of the two advertisement leaves at the end; moreover, copies normally seen have the title-page printed in red and black, not simply in black as here, and have also a further eight pages of advertisements at the end, on text paper, and continuing the signatures. Given the otherwise fine condition of the volume, we speculate that this may have been an advance copy or a copy of a colonial issue, with different advertisements (including some on the verso of the half-title), and the publisher's ‘compliments' or ‘colonial issue' stamp on the front free end-paper, put up in its present form for the English market by an economical publisher. The excisions and the replaced end-paper are by no means obvious.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAMILTON (Rowan [Colonel].). The Story of Sylvia. Ward, Lock, Bowden, and Co., London: Warwick House, Salisbury Square, E.C.; New York: East 12th Street. Melbourne: St. James's Street. Sydney: York Street, 1893. Blank before half-title; half-tone frontispiece by W.S. Steicty, with tissue guard; 10pp. integral advertisements at end; pale sky blue and whitish blue flecked buckram, blocked dark blue, lettered gilt, on front cover and spine; t.e. uncut, others rough trimmed; end-papers coated deep turquoise. Minor faults, but in general nice.
Not in Sadleir; this title not in Wolff.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAMILTON (Terrick, Esq., Oriental secretary to the British Embassy At Constantinople). Antar, A bedoueen romance. Translated from the Arabic. John Murray, 1819. Pp.[4]+viii+298; publisher's inserted 8pp. catalogue at end, dated January, 1819; drab boards, paper spine label (lettered ANTAR between thick-thin rules, with the price 9s. 6d. beneath); a.e. uncut. Paper of spine chipped at head and tail, and external joints cracked or cracking; half-title foxed; a little scattered light marginal foxing; otherwise a nice copy. Scarce.
Published separately. A further three volumes were later to appear. Block, p.96.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HAMMOND (A.). The lady Isabel: A tale of social life in the Olden time. Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.C., 1899. Final blank; pp.[iv]+[82]+[ii]; bevelled diagonally fine-ribbed royal blue cloth, ruled and blocked black, blocked gilt, on front cover and spine, lettered gilt on spine; top- and fore- edges uncut, lower-edges rough trimmed. Spine slightly darkened; otherwise a fine copy.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HANSON (Mrs. [Beulah Kezia].). Fanny Lee's testimony: A Yorkshire tale. Three shillings and sixpence. Copyright reserved. Manchester: John Heywood, 141 and 143, Deansgate, N.D. [?c.1845]. Globe 8vo; half-title not called for; pp.399+[i (blank)]; bevelled puce horizontal dotted diaper ribbed cloth, ruled and blocked blind on sides, blocked and lettered gilt on front cover, ruled, blocked, and lettered gilt, on spine; end-papers coated yellow. Cloth slightly faded on spine and at edges of covers; otherwise a fine copy.
Printed in Manchester. Not in Sadleir or Wolff; nor, despite NSTC, in the British Library Catalogue, though two editions are boasted by Oxford - one dated by NSTC [?1845] and the other [?1850]. The present copy has a page height of 18cms, which corresponds to the earlier of the two NSTC editions - but we would have guessed from the binding style that it was c.1850s.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDCASTLE (Charlotte). Family troubles. A story. In two volumes. T. Cautley Newby, Publisher, 30, Welbeck Street, Cavendish Square, 1862. 2 Vols., lge.12mo; advertisement leaf precedes title-page in each volume; half-titles not called for; pp.[iv]+[380]; [iv]+[420]; deep rose bead grain cloth ruled and blocked blind on sides and spine, lettered gilt on spine; t.e. uncut; end-papers coated chocolate. Some rubbing of gilt, particularly in volume one; front end-papers in that volume damp-marked; otherwise a nice copy.
Not in Sadleir.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDINGE (William Money). Eugenia: An episode. In three volumes. Smith, Elder, & Co., 1883. Three volumes bound in one, as issued; half-titles not called for; final blank in volume three; diagonally fine ribbed mustard cloth, blocked blind on back cover, blocked, ruled, and lettered black on front cover, gilt on spine; end-papers coated pale yellow. Slight fading of spine; stab hole running through cloth of back joint, and end-papers, with slight consequent damage to extreme inner margins of last three leaves; inner joints neatly strengthened with matching paper; otherwise a nice copy.
Not in Sadleir.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDY (Iza Duffus). The Girl he did not marry. A Novel. In three volumes. F.V. White & Co., 31, Southampton Street, Strand, 1887. 3 Vols., post 8vo; half-title, title, Contents (with advertisements on verso), and fly-title precede first leaf of text in each volume; pp.[viii]+256; [viii]+[256]; [viii]+256; quarter dark red roan, scarlet patterned sand grain cloth sides, spine ruled and lettered gilt. Spine frayed at head and tail in volume one, and leather cracking slightly over back joint; very slight general wear to covers otherwise; in general a nice copy.
Not in Sadleir or Wolff. The identical binding style of this copy is seen on so many White and Hurst & Blackett titles of the ‘80s and early ‘90s that we suspect it of being a publisher's cheap alternative for libraries. There is, however, no sign of library use in the present copy.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDY (Thomas). The trumpet-major: A tale. In three volumes. Smith, Elder, & Co., 15 Waterloo Place, 1880. 3 Vols.; blank precedes half-title in each volume; diagonally fine ribbed scarlet cloth pictorially blocked and lettered black on front cover, blocked gilt and black, ruled black, lettered gilt and scarlet through gilt on spine, ruled with double blind border on back cover; t.e. uncut; cream coated end-papers. Expertly recased, with insignificant restorations to covers; otherwise, and in general, an unusually crisp, bright, copy.
Sadleir 1115; Purdy pp.31-5. Sadleir's first issue; Purdy's ‘preferred state' of the first issue. According to Purdy two batches were bound up in 1880 - of 600 and of 150 copies respectively - whilst a further 250 copies, completing the issue, were bound up as a remainder at a later date. Three binding variants are known: in the presumed first binding (agreeing with the deposit copies) the spine imprint has a centred point between ‘Smith' and ‘Elder', and the back cover has a double rule border; the presumed second binding has a comma between ‘Smith' and ‘Elder' in the spine imprint, and is otherwise as the first binding; the presumed third binding is as the second binding, except that the back cover bears a triple ruled frame. The present copy has both the double rule border and the centred point, and is thus of the presumed first issue. The cover design was by Thomas Hardy himself.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDY (Thomas). A group of Noble dames. That is to say: The first Countess of Wessex; Barbara of the house of Grebe; The Marchioness of Stonehenge; Lady Mottisfont; The Lady Icenway; Squire Petrick's lady; Anna, Lady Baxby; The Lady Penelope; The Duchess of Hamptonshire; And The Honourable Laura. James R. Osgood Mc Ilvaine & Co, 1891. Blank before half-title, blank at end; mottled whity brown linen effect buckram, ruled and blocked with art nouveay design in gilt on front cover and spine, lettered brown on spine; t.e. uncut, others rough trimmed; end-papers coated yellow. Cloth of spine a little dull and dusty, and worn very slightly at head and tail; lettering of imprint on spine partly rubbed away; neat ownership inscription on half-title; neat restoration to back end-papers; otherwise a nice copy.
Sadleir, 1106; Purdy, pp.61-7, the first issue binding. Two thousand copies of the book were printed. The cover design is by Charles Ricketts.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDY (Thomas). Life's Little ironies: A set of tales With Some colloquial sketches Entitled A few crusted characters By Thomas Hardy, O.M. James R. Osgood, Mc Ilvaine & Co, All rights Reserved, [on verso of title:] 45 Albemarle Street London, 1894. Blank before half-title, blank at end; pp.[viii]+301+[i (advertisements)]+[ii]; sage green patterned sand-grain cloth, ruled and blocked brown, lettered gilt, on front cover and spine; t.e. uncut. Neat restoration to cloth of back joint, but cloth of spine somewhat creased and mottled, and with some hand restorations to gilt of lettering; pencilled ownership inscription on front end-paper dated ‘Xmas 1894'; text fine: an excellent reading copy.
Sadleir, 1110; Purdy, pp.81-6. Both Sadleir and Purdy describe the cloth as simple sand-grain, which it has never been in any copy we have seen. Scheduled for publication on 16th February, 1894, Purdy records that only 2,000 copies of this first edition were printed, and that it sold out in advance. Five large impressions had been called for by the end of May. The cover design is by Charles Ricketts.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDY (Thomas). Jude The obscure. With an etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn And a map of Wessex. All rights Reserved. [On verso:] James R. Osgood McIlvaine & Co., 1896. Half/series title precedes frontispiece with tissue guard; leaf bearing caption faces frontispiece; map at end followed by blank; vertically fine ribbed dark green cloth blocked and lettered gilt on spine, blocked and with monogram, gilt, on front cover; t.e.g., fore-edges uncut, lower-edges rough trimmed. End-papers foxed, and small hole in back end-paper, apparently due to a paper fault; otherwise a near fine copy.
Sadleir 1108, the variant described by him, but not included in his collection, with the final gathering consisting of four leaves; Wolff, 2979; Purdy, pp.86-91: Signatures E, F, G, and H in this copy are in Purdy's first state, with page numbers on the partially blank leaves, A, B, C, and D are not (no established issue significance). The first issue of the binding, with the Osgood, McIlvaine imprint at the foot of the spine instead of the Harper imprint present on later copies. (Harper & Brothers took over Osgood, McIlvaine in 1897). Issued upon first publication as Volume VIII of The Wessex Novels.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDY (Thomas). Jude The obscure. With an etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn And a map of Wessex. All rights Reserved. [On verso:] James R. Osgood McIlvaine & Co., 1896. Half/series title precedes frontispiece with tissue guard; leaf bearing caption faces frontispiece; map at end followed by blank; vertically fine ribbed dark green cloth blocked and lettered gilt on spine, blocked and with monogram, gilt, on front cover; t.e.g., fore-edges uncut, lower-edges rough trimmed. Cloth very lightly damp-marked at lower corners of sides; otherwise a nice copy.
Sadleir 1108, the variant described by him, but not included in his collection, with the final gathering consisting of four leaves; Wolff, 2979; Purdy, pp.86-91: Signatures E, F, G, and H in this copy are in Purdy's first state, with page numbers on the partially blank leaves, A, B, C, and D are not (no established issue significance). The first issue of the binding, with the Osgood, McIlvaine imprint at the foot of the spine instead of the Harper imprint present on later copies. (Harper & Brothers took over Osgood, McIlvaine in 1897). Issued upon first publication as Volume VIII of The Wessex Novels.
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ROBERT TEMPLE BOOKSELLERS BIBLIOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE, File C: Nineteenth Century General Fiction. All books first editions and first printings, except as stated.
HARDY (Thomas). The well-beloved: A sketch Of a temperament By Thomas Hardy. With an etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn And a map of Wessex. James R. Osgood McIlvaine & Co, All rights Reserved, 1897. Leaf blank but for asterisk on recto precedes half/series title and inserted frontispiece on special paper, with tissue guard; single inset leaf bearing caption faces frontispiece; map at end, conjugate with final leaf of text; pp.[2]+ii+[2]+iii-x+[338]+[ii (map)]; vertically fine ribbed dark green cloth blocked and lettered gilt on spine, blocked and with monogram, gilt, on front cover; t.e.g., fore- and lower- edges uncut. End-papers lightly foxed, and tissue guard foxed with offsetting onto caption leaf; otherwise a virtually fine copy.
Sadleir, 1118; Wolff, 2997; Purdy, pp.92-6. An earlier issue than that described by Purdy, in dark yellowish-green, rather than dark green, cloth, with a rather indistinct, almost dotted, rib, rather than the definite rib present in the dark green variant (which Purdy describes, somewhat misleadingly, as ‘bold-ribbed'), and with the fore- and lower- edges uncut, instead of trimmed. Issued as Volume XVII of The Wessex Novels, this is the first publication of the novel in book form. It differs considerably from the serial publication of the novel in 1892 in the ‘Illustrated London News': "many scattered passages were excised or added, chapters retitled &c., but the major alterations were confined to the opening and closing chapters, particularly the latter, where the whole conduct of the plot was changed and an entirely new conclusion substituted." - Purdy.
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