68 HARDY, Thomas. Desperate Remedies. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1871 “only those who are trying to complete their sets of hardy know how difficult it is to find desperate remedies . . . in cloth as issued” Rare first edition of Hardy’s first published book, issued anonymously at his own expense in a small edition of 500 copies. This copy, from the library of the noted American collector A. Edward Newton, is one of the uncommon sets issued with the publisher’s advertisement incorporated into the design of the cloth; unusually, it is present on all three volumes here. Copies of this elusive work in the original cloth are particularly desirable. Newton recalled declining a first edition of Desperate Remedies at a price of “something over two pounds: ‘it seemed wiser to wait until the price reached forty pounds, which I subsequently paid for it . . . Only those who are trying to complete their sets of Hardy know how difficult it is to find Desperate Remedies and Under the Greenwood Tree in cloth as issued’”. Loosely inserted is a typed note, perhaps by Newton, recording that: “this is an integral set, not made up (as so many are); with all three volumes in the ‘advertising’ binding”. Michael Sadleir, whose collection of 19th- century literature remains unparalleled among private collections, ranked it second on his list of comparative scarcities for Hardy; he never found an adequate copy for his collection. This copy was one of at least two copies of Desperate Remedies in the Hardy collection of Frederick Baldwin Adams, Jr., who served as the director of the Morgan Library, the president of the New York Historical Society, and the president of the Grolier Club. Accompanying it is a pencil rubbing of an alternate green cloth binding of Desperate Remedies , made by Newton at Thomas Hardy’s Max Gate home and dated 16 November 1934; Purdy notes that just one copy is known in this binding: “it would seem to be a trial binding and was given by Hardy to his first wife”. 3 volumes, octavo. Original red sand-grain cloth, spines lettered in gilt, decoration to spines and covers in blind, decorative border to covers incorporating the words “Tinsley’s Magazine – One Shilling – Monthly-Illustrated”. Housed in a custom red cloth chemise and red quarter morocco slipcase. Ownership signature of the first owner of this set, J. M. Palmer, crossed out on front free endpapers; Palmer’s shelf mark in black ink on all edges. Bookplates of A. Edward Newton and Frederick Baldwin Adams Jr
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69 HARDY, Thomas. The Mayor of Casterbridge. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1886 First edition in book form, the first complete publication of the text, having been published in a bowdlerized text in both the Graphic and Harper’s Weekly from 2 January to 15 May 1886. The book was published on 10 May 1886 in 758 copies, of which only 650 were bound; it is consequently scarce, especially such a sharp example in the original cloth. The novel is widely judged to be one of Hardy’s masterpieces. The main character Henchard, according to the critic Albert Guerard, “stands at the very summit of his creator’s achievement; his only tragic hero and one of the greatest tragic
(designed by Rockwell Kent) in all vols. Newspaper clipping, comprising Newton’s account of purchasing this copy, tipped to endpapers of vol. I (from Newton’s book The Amenities of Book-Collecting and Kindred Affections , 1919); typed note loosely inserted, possibly by Newton, praising Palmer for his purchase, giving “encouragement to a literary career that was then in danger of being snuffed out”. Black and white photograph of title page of vol. I loosely inserted. Spines at some time lightly washed, a few marks but otherwise bright, front inner hinges of vols. I and III cracked but firm, occasional faint foxing to text but overall quite clean. An unusually well-preserved copy of this rare work. ¶ Purdy, pp. 3–5; no copy in Sadleir, XIX Century Fiction ; Wolff 2971 (“none of the volumes has the blocking with Tinsley Magazine advertisement”). £30,000 [156637]
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