TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS
TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS 8 FROM THE NINETEENTH CENTURY
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paper in the second part. A superb set, very seldom encountered so well pre- £35,000 A rare set of first editions of Little Women, both parts in their earliest states. served. [44238] In May 1868 Alcott’s pub- lisher Thomas Niles of Rob- erts Brothers suggested that she write a “girls story”. She wrote in her journal “Never liked girls or knew many, ex- cept my sisters; but our queer plays and experiences may prove interesting, though I doubt it.” It was published in October 1868 in an edition of 2,000 copies, all of which were sold by the end of the month.
1. Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy ALCOTT, Louisa M.
A sequel was not always planned for, and the first volume ends with the words “So grouped the curtain falls upon Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Whether it ever rises again, depends upon the reception given to the first act of the domestic drama, called ‘Little Women’.” The swift sales of the first edition, and an order for a London edition, led Niles to ask Alcott to begin work on a sequel. This she did immediately, and it was submitted to Niles on New Year’s Day and was published on 14th April 1869 in an edition, just like the first volume, of 2,000 copies. It was the publication of this second volume, and the public’s appetite to discover what had become of the March girls, that catapulted Little Women to lasting fame. It is now one of the most sought after first editions of nineteenth centu - ry children’s books, and copies such as this, in original cloth and nice
Roberts Brothers, 1868, 1869. First edition. Two volumes. Part one bound in publisher’s green cloth, part two bound in publisher’s russet cloth, both volumes with gilt titles to the spine and upper cover. The first state of both volumes with Little Women listed at $1.25 in the terminal advert of the first part and no notice for ‘Lit - tle Women, Part First’ on p.iv of the second part. Four engraved plates by May Alcott to the first volume. Four engraved plates to the second volume. An exceptionally nice set. Both volumes bright and clean, the first part exceptionally so with tight hinges and only trivial wear to the spine ends. The second part, neatly recased with minor repairs to the spine ends, but with tight hing- es and internally clean. Early bookplate to the front pastedown of each volume, and a small nick from the base of the front end -
condition, are decidedly uncommon. Gulliver pp. 27-30; BAL 158,159
TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS
2. Villette [BRONTE, Charlotte] BELL, Currer
The fabulous Stockhausen-Ewing copy of the author’s third novel, a semi-autobiographical account of her time spent at finishing school in Brussels. PROVENANCE: William E. Stockhausen (his sale, Sotheby’s, November 1974); Douglas C. Ewing (bookplate to front paste - down, his sale, Christie’s April 1978).
Smith, Elder, and Co., 1853. First edition. Three volumes. Original publisher’s brown bevelled cloth titled in gilt to the spines and with blind border and decoration to the boards. 12pp of terminal adverts to volume one in the earliest state, dated January 1853. A fine set, very clean and crisp with the front hinge starting and owner’s initial to each endpaper. An exceptional set. [44244] £15,000
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3. The Professor A Tale by Currer Bell [BRONTE, Charlotte] BELL, Currer
well preserved copy, housed in chemises and quarter morocco slipcase. [44245] £6,500 The last of Charlotte Brontë’s novels to be published, although the first she wrote. Her most obtainable in first edition, but scarce with the first state adverts and in such fresh condition. Smith 7
Smith, Elder & Co., 1857. First edition, first issue with adverts dat - ed June 1857. Original purple cloth, stamped in blind with gilt titles on the spine. A near fine set, with the spines faded as usual but the gilt lettering remains bright. Contemporary ownership name to the front endpapers and the front hinge of vol. one start - ing (others perfect), but internally very fresh. An exceptionally
TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS
4. The Queen Of Hearts COLLINS, Wilkie
but including the celebrated early detective story, The Biter Bit, and in Anne Rodway, Collins creates possibly the first female detective in fiction. Exceptionally scarce in the original cloth, Michael Sadleir notes even in 1951, “that to-day copies are rarely seen”, and places it second in his list of comparative scarcities. This certainly remains true today, but those copies that are seen are generally from circulating libraries and are badly damaged or repaired. Copies in such fine condition are almost unheard of. Sadleir 603; Queen’s Quorum 3.
Hurst & Blackett, 1859. First edition. Three volumes in publish- er’s olive, wavy grained, cloth with gilt titles to the spine and decoration to covers stamped in blind. A fine copy with clean cloth and bright gilt. All hinges perfect and internally fresh. An exceptional copy. [44164] £25,000 A collection of ten connected stories, mainly of a supernatural nature,
JONKERS RARE BOOKS 5. Armadale COLLINS, Wilkie
An exceptional presentation copy of one of Collins’ rarest works, in fine condition. François Joseph Regnier (1807-1885) to whom the book is inscribed, was a noted French actor and playwright, who at the time of the inscrip- tion was the dean of the Comedie Française, the French state theatre. He met Collins when in Paris in 1856 visiting Dickens. The pair became good friends and it is significant that it is this book which they worked on together to create a French dramatic version in Paris. Armadale is the third of Collins’ four great novels of the 1860s, which spanned from The Woman in White in 1860 to The Moonstone in 1868, when Collins was at the height of his powers as a sensational novelist. As a first edition, it is the scarcest of the four, Sadlier listing it as the third rarest of Collins’ works. This is further born out by only one other copy in original cloth (described as cracked and worn) being offered at auction in the last 75 years. Furthermore, Wilkie Collins presentation copies are of the utmost scar- city in commerce. Only four inscribed first editions are recorded at auction in the last fifty years, and a brief census of institutionally held presentation copies, shows but a mere handful more and also strongly indicates that Collins only inscribed to close friends. Sadlier 588 “the only fine copy of this book I have seen”.
Smith Elder & Co., 1866. First edition. Two volumes, original publisher’s brown morocco grained cloth with gilt vignette to the upper cover and gilt titles and ornamental design to the spine. Blind triple ruled border to covers. Author’s presentation copy, inscribed by Collins on the dedication page to François Joseph Regnier, “Monsieur Regnier / De la Comedie Française / from his friend and admirer Wilkie Collins September 1866” Twenty engraved plates by George Thomas. A fine set, fresh and bright with just the slightest tanning to the spine and a trace of wear at the head. [44350] £37,500
TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS
Critically regarded as one of Dickens’s most accomplished novels, Bleak House is notable for its complex plot structure and for the large and diverse range of characters it introduces. It also contains elements of crime fiction and is the first significant novel in which a detective plays an important role. Its satire of the Chancery court system remains one of the greatest passages on the English legal system in literary history. “Bleak House is not certainly Dickens’s best book; but perhaps it is his best novel” - G.K. Chesterton Dickens’s octavo novels have rarely survived in good unrepaired cloth, however, possibly as a consequence of its immediate popularity, copies of Bleak House seem particularly uncommon. Smith I 10
6. Bleak House DICKENS, Charles
Bradbury & Evans, 1853. First edition. Original publisher’s prima- ry binding of olive green fine diaper cloth blocked in blind with border and central arabesque to covers and titles blocked in gilt to the spine. Date in gilt at the base of the spine. Engraved title and 39 full page steel engraved plates by H.K. Browne. A fine copy, which shows a just little toning to the spine, less than usu- al, and minor rubs to the bottom corner of the front board and base of the rear joint, but is exceptionally clean and bright. Inter - nally, notably fresh with just a little foxing to the engraved title page and frontispiece. Hinges perfect. An exceptionally copy. [44100] £12,500
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7. Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life [GASKELL, Elizabeth]
A superb copy of Gaskell’s first novel and rarest work, listed first in Sadleir’s comparative scarcities with no copy listed in the main body of his catalogue. An important and mould-breaking Victorian novel which shocked its readership with its vivid descriptions of contrasting conditions across the provincial class divide, a subject which had hitherto been mainly treated from a London-centric perspective. “Mary Barton was the first novel to combine sincerity of purpose, con - vincing portrayal of character, and a largely unprejudiced picture of certain aspects of industrial life.” - Annette Hopkins (Mary Barton: A Victorian Best Seller in The Trollopian 1948).
Chapman & Hall, 1848. First edition. Two volumes. Publisher’s plum cloth with gilt titles to the spine and floral borders and cen - tral arabesques in blind to the covers. Advert leaf preceding title page of vol. I. A fine set, crisp and clean with just a touch of fad - ing to the spines, but bright gilt. Internally, perfect hinges with an early ownership name to the front endpapers, but very clean throughout. An exceptional copy. [44247] £12,500
TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS
8. King Solomon’s Mines HAGGARD, H. Rider
Rare. Due to the relative obscurity of the author, Cassell issued only 1000 copies in September 1885. The novel was fantastically well re- ceived by the public, with four reprints before Christmas and 12,000 copies sold in the first year. Although supposedly inspired by the suc - cess of Treasure Island, King Solomon’s Mines is a flight of fancy that is quintessentially Victorian in outlook, yet goes beyond the scope of its immediate predecessor in establishing itself as a prototype for the
Cassell, 1885. First edition. First state with all textual misprints and adverts dated 5G.8.85. Original red cloth with gilt titles to the spine and black design to the covers. Colour fold out map frontispiece. A fine copy, the cloth sparklingly clean and crisp. Internally clean with superficial paper splits to the hinges, but still holding. An exceptional copy. [44242] £25,000
modern adventure novel. Whatmore F3; McKay 4
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9. The Return Of The Native HARDY, Thomas
moderately, its handling of illicit sexual relationships and the conflicting demands of society alienated many contemporary readers. A twentieth century perspective however, shows it to be a thoroughly modern novel for its time and is now one of the author’s most highly regarded works. Hardy’s novels of this period are notoriously difficult to find in decent condition. Copies in such flawless condition as this are virtually un - known. Purdy p.24; Sadleir 1119a PROVENANCE: Mary Pinkerton Carlisle (1884-1937, morocco bookplate to front pastedown); Katherine de Berkley Parsons (sold her sale, Sothebys 1976).
Smith, Elder, and Co., 1878. First edition. Three volumes. Purdy’s primary binding with a double ruled border in blind to the rear covers. Original brown cloth blocked in black and gilt. Engraved frontispiece map. A fine set, extraordinarily so. The gilt is bright the cloth clean and free from wear, the hinges are tight. A peer - less example, housed in a morocco box. [44246] £22,500 The exceptional Parsons copy of Hardy’s sixth novel, published in November of 1878 in an edition of 1000 copies, though 100 quires re- mained unbound in 1882 and probably form the secondary binding. The novel received a cautiously positive critical reception, but sold only
TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS
nally hinges repaired and some occasional spotting throughout, mainly light but with heavier staining to the C1-C7 of vol II, a small hole to the margin of C7 and a marginal chip to M3 of vol III. [44162] £45,000 The first edition of Le Fanu’s most famous work and the first to gain the author widespread success. Its success is partly because it was, of its time, sui generis: it can be rightly viewed as a gothic novel, detective fiction, and supernatural thriller without strictly conforming to any of these genres. It is also an early example of what has become known as the ‘locked room mystery’. Its reception was instant and warm and its influence long lasting, with Bram Stoker, Conan Doyle and M. R. James all acknowledging the in- fluence of Le Fanu’s work on their own. Published in an edition of just 500 copies, the first edition has always been rare in commerce, exceptionally so in the original cloth. Only two copies in cloth appear to have been sold at auction in the last 70 years and this is the only inscribed copy we can trace. PROVENANCE: Henrietta Le Fanu (inscribed from the author), by family descent to William Le Fanu (1904-1995, the original recipient’s grandson), lent for exhibition in 1951 for the Festival of Britain (exhibition label on front endpaper of vol. I).
AUTHOR’S PRESENTATION COPY
10. Uncle Silas A Tale Of Bartram-Haugh LE FANU, J. Sheridan
Richard Bentley, 1864. First edition. Three volumes. 8vo. Original plum morocco grained cloth lettered in gilt to the spine and with
triple ruled border and arabesques in blind to the covers. Half-titles present. Author’s presentation copy, inscribed to his sister-in-law on the half title of volume one, “To Henrietta Le Fanu from The Author December 1864”. Each volume rebacked with the original spines laid down and small losses to the original cloth from head of the spines of vols II and III. Corners bumped and a crease to the front board of vol III. Inter-
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11. All In The Dark LE FANU, J Sheridan
Rare. Auction records show just one other copy in this presentation binding being offered for sale since the Second World War (Michael Sadleir’s copy, sold at Sotheby in 1947 and 1962). This binding of cream cloth is described in the publisher’s records (quoted by Carter) as a special binding for presentation, “a few copies were also bound in cream-coloured cloth for presentation.” The ‘trade’ issue was bound in claret cloth with uncut pages, and there was also a secondary binding in “dull scarlet” with cut pages. Carter (p.129, A); Sadleir 1369a.0
Richard Bentley, 1866. First edition. Two volumes. 8vo. In the publisher’s presentation binding of pebble-grained ivory cloth, blindstamped decoration to covers, lettered gilt to spine, page edges uncut (Carter variant A). A near fine set, toned to spine, with some splitting to the lower hinge of volume one, and upper hinge of volume two. [44166] £6,000
TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS
12. Treasure Island STEVENSON, Robert Louis
Cassell, 1883. First edition, first issue with eight pages of adverts dated 5R-1083, thought to be earliest state. Contains textual points, ‘rain’ for ‘vain’ on page 40, ‘dead man’s chest’ not cap - italised on page 2 and ‘worse’ for ‘worst’ on page 197. The 7 is present in page 127 and the 8 present in page 83. Frontispiece map printed in three colours. A fine copy, with just the slightest trace of wear to the spine ends and a small abrasion to the rear joint. Internally, exceptionally fresh and tight with a neat, super - ficial repair to the front hinge. A superb copy, about as bright and clean as one could hope to find. Housed in a quarter moroc - co slipcase and chemise. [44241] £22,500 “Treasure Island established itself as a classic, drawing plaudits from the widest range of literary sensibilities. In 1890 W.B. Yeats wrote to tell [Stevenson] that the book was the only one in which his seafar- ing grandfather had ever taken any pleasure and that he reread it on his deathbed with infinite satisfaction. Jack London, in so many ways RLS’s true spiritual heir, declared: ‘His Treasure Island will be a classic to go down with Robinson Crusoe, Through the Looking Glass and The Jungle Books’” (Frank McLynn - Robert Louis Stevenson). In more re- cent times Michael Morpurgo lists this book as the first to impress and
influence him. Prideaux 11
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