AUSTEN, Jane; Hugh THOMSON [Illus.]; George SAINSBURY [Preface]
Pride and Prejudice
London: George Allen, 1895
8vo., original publisher’s green cloth, prettily and elaborately blocked in gilt with the iconic peacock design to upper covers and spine; all edges gilt; dark green coated endpapers; pp. [ix], x-xxvii, [ii], 2-476, [iv]; proliferated throughout with frontis and a further 100 charming illustrations in line by Thomson; and a facsimile note from the illustrator printed to p. [vii]; boards a little rubbed at edges and along spine, with some bumping to corners; lightly pushed to ends; sometime delicately retouched at tips, with one light splash mark to the upper board; occasional brown spots and corner creases throughout; otherwise very clean; hinges cracked, with some webbing showing through at front and rear gutters with no subsequent repair; early ownership inscription dated 1902 to the ffep; a very good copy, overall, with none of the often-found foxing to the prelims.
First reprint of March 1895, appearing in this form in October 1894.
The Peacock edition of Pride and Prejudice is, after the early first printings, likely the most desirable edition on the market. Beautifully bound in green cloth gilt, it was undoubtedly inspired by other gilt bindings of the period, such as Macmillan’s Cranford Series, which had appeared in 1876.
Thomson was first approached to provide the illustrations for this lavish volume after his illustrations for Mrs Gaskell’s Cranford led him to become one of the most popular illustrators of the Victorian era. This was the first edition of Pride and Prejudice to include prolific drawings throughout the whole of the text, previous examples having included just a frontis or at most two drawings. Thomson used to frequent galleries such as the V&A on a regular basis, and was inspired by the characters he encountered there - as a consequence, the figures here appear rather more Victorian than Georgian in feel, but remain charming renderings of this literary classic. They proved extremely successful, and Thomson went on to illustrate many more of Austen’s novels over the course of his career.
The struggles and ultimate success in love for Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy have become synonymous with the idea of the romance novel. One of the best-loved works of all time, the opening words ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged…’ are similarly instantly recognisable for book lovers the world over, and are sometimes considered some of the greatest opening lines in English Literature.
The second printing remains a more affordable, but still a lavish, alternative to the first, with this copy available for sale in very good condition.
AUSTEN, Jane; Hugh THOMSON [Illus.]; George SAINSBURY [Preface]
Pride and Prejudice
London: George Allen, 1895
8vo., original publisher’s green cloth, prettily and elaborately blocked in gilt with the iconic peacock design to upper covers and spine; all edges gilt; dark green coated endpapers; pp. [ix], x-xxvii, [ii], 2-476, [iv]; proliferated throughout with frontis and a further 100 charming illustrations in line by Thomson; and a facsimile note from the illustrator printed to p. [vii]; boards a little rubbed at edges and along spine, with some bumping to corners; lightly pushed to ends; sometime delicately retouched at tips, with one light splash mark to the upper board; occasional brown spots and corner creases throughout; otherwise very clean; hinges cracked, with some webbing showing through at front and rear gutters with no subsequent repair; early ownership inscription dated 1902 to the ffep; a very good copy, overall, with none of the often-found foxing to the prelims.
First reprint of March 1895, appearing in this form in October 1894.
The Peacock edition of Pride and Prejudice is, after the early first printings, likely the most desirable edition on the market. Beautifully bound in green cloth gilt, it was undoubtedly inspired by other gilt bindings of the period, such as Macmillan’s Cranford Series, which had appeared in 1876.
Thomson was first approached to provide the illustrations for this lavish volume after his illustrations for Mrs Gaskell’s Cranford led him to become one of the most popular illustrators of the Victorian era. This was the first edition of Pride and Prejudice to include prolific drawings throughout the whole of the text, previous examples having included just a frontis or at most two drawings. Thomson used to frequent galleries such as the V&A on a regular basis, and was inspired by the characters he encountered there - as a consequence, the figures here appear rather more Victorian than Georgian in feel, but remain charming renderings of this literary classic. They proved extremely successful, and Thomson went on to illustrate many more of Austen’s novels over the course of his career.
The struggles and ultimate success in love for Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy have become synonymous with the idea of the romance novel. One of the best-loved works of all time, the opening words ‘It is a truth universally acknowledged…’ are similarly instantly recognisable for book lovers the world over, and are sometimes considered some of the greatest opening lines in English Literature.
The second printing remains a more affordable, but still a lavish, alternative to the first, with this copy available for sale in very good condition.
