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60 HARDY, Thomas. Tess of the d’Urbervilles. London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., 1891 A beautiful copy in the cloth, inscribed by its designer Charles Ricketts First edition in book form, first issue with the requisite points, and with the cloth in lovely condition, inscribed on the first blank of the third volume by Charles Ricketts, who designed the cloth binding: “To Rylis, C. S. Ricketts”. Edith Hacon, known as Amaryllis (“Rylis” for short) was an artist’s model who married William L. Hacon (1860–1910), co-founder with Ricketts of the Vale Press. Ricketts’s design for this novel was significant, “different from almost all previously published books by Thomas Hardy, or, for that matter, by any other author. These books were obviously designed by someone with a genius for artistic lay-out, by someone with taste and originality” (Weber). Tess of the d’Urbervilles was originally published as a serial in the Graphic from July to December 1891, with two episodes – the
seduction of Tess by Alec d’Urberville and the baptism and death of Tess’s baby – removed by the editor, which necessitated changes in plot. When the novel was published in book form the original text was restored. Printed in the week of 29 November 1891 in an edition of 1,000 copies, Tess proved an immediate success and a second issue of 500 copies was published in February the following year. As the triple-decker format was chiefly adopted for sale to lending-libraries, copies retaining the original cloth in collectable condition are scarce. 3 volumes, octavo. Original brown cloth, spines lettered in gilt, two-stem honeysuckle design by Charles Ricketts to front covers blocked in gilt, bottom edges untrimmed. Housed in a tan morocco-backed bookform folding case. An exceedingly fresh copy in the cloth, minimal rubbing to ends and fore-corners, a few faint marks to vol. III front board, spines a little rolled but inner hinges completely sound, entirely clean within, in excellent condition. ¶ Purdy, pp. 67–78; Sadleir 1114; Webb pp. 24–26; Wolff 2993. Carl J. Weber, “Charles Ricketts and His Books”, Colby Library Quarterly , Series III, no. 4, 1951. £35,000 [156704]
All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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