Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$60.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Volume two only, of three. Original brown cloth, lettered in gilt on the spine. Front and rear ruled in blind about the edges. Pale yellow endpapers. The corners and fore edges are bumped. Early bookplate to the front pastedown. A small, oval embossed library stamp to the front free endpaper. The spine has severe leaning. There are no markings or foxing to the interior. ; 8vo 8" - 9" tall; 290 pages
Seller: Scott Emerson Books, ABAA, El Cajon, CA, U.S.A.
George Eliot. Felix Holt the Radical. William Blackwood & Sons, 1866.
Price: US$250.24 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons. 1866, 1866. Half titles, 4pp ads. Original orange-red sand-grained cloth by Burn, bevelled boards, front boards & spines dec. & lettered in gilt; spines have been repaired with original laid on, sl. dulled. See Sadleir 814; Wolff 2058; Baker and Ross A8.2. The second edition. Although handsomely produced 'suitable for presentation', sales were disappointing for this two-volume edition, and it is rather scarce. gift inscr tohalf title dated 1868, bindery label to fep.some light foxing to prelims and light tanning of pages but a tight and clean copy otherwise
Seller: Westmoor Books, Leyburn, United Kingdom
George Eliot.. Felix Holt, The Radical. 3 volumes.. William Blackwood and Sons, London 1866, 1866.
Price: US$256.65 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Presumed first edition. Hardback. 3 vols. Octavos. 303; 290; 283pp. Original brick red cloth with gilt spine titles. Covers with some rubbing, bumping and marks, spines with some chipping, splitting and some repair, slight leans, inner hinges starting, very occasional spotting, mark or corner crease to contents, library label to fronts, otherwise a good-plus set.
Seller: ROBIN SUMMERS BOOKS LTD, Aldeburgh, United Kingdom
Eliot, George. Felix Holt the Radical. William Blackwood, London, 1866.
Price: US$295.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Three volumes. Early half morocco, with marbled sides. Half titles present, bound without ads. All edges gilt. Very attractive spines, with lettering "Eliot's Works" and the book's title. Edges of marbled paper darkened, but slight wear only, with hinges strong. Evidently from a uniformly bound set of first editions, but not numbered as part of a sequence within that set.
Seller: John R. Sanderson, Bookseller , Stockbridge, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 3 Vols. Uniform bindings. One-quarter brown leather, three-quarters textured tan cloth boards. Gilt titles on spine. Five raised bands on spine. Some wear to head of spine and corners of Volume 1. Less wear on corners, extremities and spine ends of other two volumes. Bindings in all three cases tight, with straight spines and solid corners. Marbled endpapers, strong hinges. Gilt upper page ends on all three volumes. Foxing to endpapers of all three volumes. "J. Warrington Howard" written on blank page in all three volumes, in bold, elegant hand. Howard was a noted surgeon in the latter half of the 19th century. Felix Holt followed Romola, the reception of which was a setback for Eliot. However, Felix Holt was criticized for its insufficient engagement with political matters, and for deficiencies in Eliot's portait of Holt's character. It remains one of her least read novels, though it has, over time, attained the standing of a classic.
Seller: The Chatham Bookseller, Madison, NJ, U.S.A.
Price: US$320.82 + shipping
Description: , 303, 290, and 283 pages First Editions , sympathetically rebacked with original boards, slight rubbing to corners and board edges, a few marks to boards, occasional mark to pages but mostly clean, without half-titles and lacking publisher's catalogue at rear of third volume, binding firm, very good condition , half morocco and marbled boards, gilt bands and titles to spines, speckled red edges , octavo, 19 cm x 14 cm Hardback ISBN:
Seller: Keoghs Books, Skipton, United Kingdom
George Eliot. Felix Holt: The Radical.. William Blackwood and Sons, London, 1866.
Price: US$352.90 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: A first edition of this social novel by George Eliot focusing on the changes seen in small town rural England as a result of the First Reform Act of 1832. With a publisher's catalogue to the rear of volume III. Volumes I and III of three volumes. In the original publisher's cloth and charming in their own right, this pair would increase in value when united with the lacking volume. In decorative publishers cloth bindings. Externally nice and bright, slightly bumped and rubbed to extremities. Three hinges are slightly strained. Internally, generally firmly bound although strained in places. Generally bright and clean with just the odd spot or handling mark, dusting to the top edge not affecting the text. There is a small closed tear to the last page of text in volume III. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$352.90 + shipping
Description: Half titles, 4pp ads. vol. I; vol. II remains largely unopened. Original orange-red sand-grained cloth by Burn, bevelled boards, front boards & spines dec. & lettered in gilt; spines sl. marked, sl. dulled. See Sadleir 814; Wolff 2058; Baker and Ross A8.2. The second edition. Although handsomely produced 'suitable for presentation', sales were disappointing for this two-volume edition, and it is rather scarce.
Seller: Jarndyce, The 19th Century Booksellers, London, United Kingdom
George Eliot. FELIX HOLT (COMPLETE IN 3 VOLUMES). William Blackwood and Sons, London, 1866.
Price: US$600.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: ; Complete in three volumes. Three quarter maroon calf leather bound covers with five raised bands, elaborate gilt stamped spines, and marbled boards are frayed at corners and worn at extremities and spines but clean, bright, and in good+ condition. Boards and spines are straight. Bindings are tight. Very faint and modest foxing to front matter. Marbled page edges very good. Marbled end sheets and paste downs clean and vibrant. Pages are clean and in very good condition. Lacking publisher's advertisements.
Seller: Sage Rare & Collectible Books, IOBA, Livonia, MI, U.S.A.
George Eliot. Felix Holt: The Radical [3 Volumes]. William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh, 1866.
Price: US$641.63 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 3 volume set. 1st ed. Original red cloth with blind borders and gilt titles to spine, in matching cloth slipcase with marbled interior. VG copies, all lightly rubbed to edges, corners bumped, each has light marks of (probably library) label removal to cover. Vol. 1 contains bookplate of collector Paul Lemperly, all have ink name to dark ffep. Slipcase is VG with light wear to edges and corners. A lovely set.
Seller: Object Relations, IOBA, London, United Kingdom
George Eliot. Felix Holt the Radical. William Blackwood and Sons, 1866.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: THIS COMPLETE THREE VOLUME SET IS IN NEAR FINE CONDITION BEAUTIFULLY BOUND BY BUMPUS IN FULL POLISHED CALF WITH BRIGHT GILT RULE TO BOARDS, SIX COMPARTMENTS AND FIVE RAISED BANDS TO SPINE WITH BRIGHT GILT DETAILS AND TITLE. BINDING AND HINGES ARE VERY GOOD, BRIGHT GILT END PAGES. NO LOOSE OR MISSING PAGES, PAGES ARE BRIGHT AND CLEAN, WITHOUT MARKS AND MINIMAL FOXING. BOOKS MEASURE 7.5"x4.75". FIRST EDITION, 155 YEARS OLD. A BEAUTIFUL SET IN REMARKABLE CONDITION.
Seller: Reagan's Rare Books, Moseley, VA, U.S.A.
Price: US$750.00 + shipping
Description: First Impression. Three octavo volumes (20cm); three-quarter navy blue crushed morocco and denim blue cloth, bound by Bayntun (Riviere); spines in six compartments, with five raised bands, and titling and floral decorations stamped in gilt on spines; marbled endpapers; top edges gilt; [iv],303,[1]; [iv],290; [iv],283,[1]pp. Half-titles present in each volume, though Vol.3 lacks the ad leaves [258-288] ("absent in some copies," Baker & Ross, p.228). Spines uniformly faded to a pleasant blue-green, with a few pinpont rubs to same; faint, tiny stains to the corners of a few leaves in Vol.1; some occasional, very faint foxing to margins, though on the whole, the text is quite fresh; Near Fine. Handsome set of Eliot's fifth novel, published in an edition of 5252 copies. A social novel, centered around the political disputes in a small, fictitious English town during the time of the Reform Act of 1832. Baker & Ross A8.1; Sadleir 814.
Seller: Captain Ahab's Rare Books, ABAA, Stephenson, VA, U.S.A.
George Eliot. Felix Holt, The Radical. In Three Volumes.. William Blackwood and Sons, 1866.
Price: US$900.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: 303 + 290 + 283 pages (with 4 pages of ads in volume III). A remarkably fresh set, owing in part to the fact that this set was never read. The pages are unopened in all volumes. Half titles present in each volume. No marks or stains noted. Just hints of bumping and rubbing at the extremities. The brick color cloth is stamped in gilt on the spines, and in blind on upper and rear covers. Photos available. Size: Crown 8vo
Seller: Wild Hills Books, Largo, FL, U.S.A.
George Eliot. Felix Holt the radical: in three volumes. William Blackwood and Sons, 1866.
Price: US$900.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Red leather spines and corners; marble/bargello print boards. No title on spine. Covers in very good condition; Bindings tight. half-title. Vol.1: 303 pp.; Vol.2: 290 pp.; Vol. 3: 283 pp. No publisher's catalog. Darkened gilt edge on top. Some foxing to endpapers. No writing, highlighting, or marks in text. Age-yellowing to pages; pages in very good condition. Overall, considering its age, this set is in amazing condition.
Seller: Night Heron Books, Laramie, WY, U.S.A.
George Eliot. Felix Holt The Radical. William Blackwood and Sons, London, 1866.
Price: US$1026.61 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: A first edition copy of George Eliot's social novel. In the publisher's original cloth binding.Felix Holt deals with the upheavals of society at the time of the 1832 Reform Act. This work centres on an election contested by one Harold Transome, a local landowner in the 'Radical cause'. The ONDB notes that nearly 5,000 copies were sold in the first year.In the original brown cloth binding.With the bookplate of Oliver Nowell Chadwyck-Healey to the front pastedowns. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally, generally smart. Small loss to the head and tail of spines. Patches of rubbing to the joints and extremities. Ink spill to the front board of volume I. Bookplate to the front pastedowns of all volumes, Oliver Nowell Chadwych-Healey. Prior owner's inscription to the half-title 'A Macmillan'. Internally, all volumes are firmly bound. Pages are bright and clean. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
Price: US$1055.00 + shipping
Description: 3 Volumes. 8vo. pp. complete with half-titles. 2 p.l., 303; 2 p.l., 290; 2 p.l., 283 + [24]ads. full calf, gilt backs & inside dentelles, by Rivière & Son, t.e.g., others untrimmed (joints worn, slight chipping to spines), original cinnamon cloth sides & spines bound in at end. First Edition. Sadleir 814.Parrish p. 20.NCBEL III 902.
Seller: D & E LAKE LTD. (ABAC/ILAB), Toronto, ON, Canada
ELIOT, George.. Felix Holt The Radical.. Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood & Sons. 1866, 1866.
Price: US$1058.69 + shipping
Description: FIRST EDITION. 3 vols. Half titles, 4pp ads & 18pp catalogue at end of vol. III. Orig. reddish-brown sand-grained cloth, boards blocked in blind, spines lettered in gilt; e.ps carefully replaced at some point, sl. rubbing to tails of spines. Front board labels for Mudie's Select Library. A good-plus set. Baker & Ross A8.1; binding 'C'. Sadleir 814 (in the later blue cloth); not in Wolff.
Seller: Jarndyce, The 19th Century Booksellers, London, United Kingdom
George Eliot. Felix Holt, the Radical. William Blackwood and Sons, London, 1866.
Price: US$1154.94 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: The complete three volume first edition of George Eliot's important Victorian era novel, examining social upheaval in the time of the 1832 Reform Act. A smart copy of this first edition from the major Victorian era novelist, in the publisher's original cloth binding.Carter's bibliography observed five bindings of this work, with this being Binding A. Carter does not give any binding priority. Baker A8.1.Set during the time of the Reform Act of 1832, Eliot's work revolves around the character of Felix Holt, a young man who is a radical political activist, dedicated to the betterment of the working classes.With each volume retaining the original half title, and a twenty page publisher's catalogue to the rear of volume III.With a contemporary inscription to the front free endpaper of volume I, dated 1866, copying out a biblical passage.A first edition of this lesser read novel from the author of 'Middlemarch' and 'The Mill on the Floss'. In the publisher's original cloth bindings. Bumping to spine heads and tails, with a small closed tear in the cloth at the head of volume II. Boards bright. Head and tail of volume I neatly rebacked, with original cloth restored, and retaining the original endpapers. Inscription to front free endpaper of volume I. Internally, firmly bound, with pages generally clean and bright. Marks to publisher's catalogue. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
George Eliot. Felix Holt. William Blackwood and Sons, 1866.
Price: US$1250.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Three Volumes In 3/4 Leather First Editions. Excellent Set of this Eliot Classic.
Seller: Jeff Bergman Books ABAA, ILAB, Flemington, NJ, U.S.A.
ELIOT, George.. Felix Holt. The Radical.. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1866, 1866.
Price: US$1283.27 + shipping
Description: First edition, attractively bound. Set in the familiar midland countryside of Eliot's early novels, Felix Holt deals with the upheavals of society at the time of the first Reform Act of 1832, anticipating the election scenes in her next novel, Middlemarch. The work was well-received commercially and "nearly 5,000 copies were sold in the first year" (ODNB). In a contemporary review of the book published in the Times, the literary critic E. S. Dallas proclaimed Eliot superior to her foremost rival, Jane Austen: "Hitherto Miss Austen has had the honour of first place among our lady novelists, but a greater than she has now arisen - a lady who in grasp of thought, in loftiness of feeling, in subtlety of expression, in fineness of humour, in reach of passion, and in all those sympathies which go to form the true artists has never been excelled. Felix Holt is certainly a work of rare genius" (Times, 26 June 1866, p. 6). Baker & Ross, A8.1. 3 volumes, octavo (191 x 120 mm). Contemporary brown half calf, spines with gilt-dotted raised bands, elaborate gilt decoration in compartments, green and brown morocco labels, marbled sides ruled in blind, greyish green endpapers, top edges gilt, several gatherings uncut. Bound without publisher's advertisements (not present in all copies, see Baker & Ross). Occasional spots of wear to board edges, contents generally bright and clean. A very good copy indeed.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$1283.27 + shipping
Description: First edition. Three volumes. 8vo (222x135mm). pp. [4], 303 [1bl]; [4], 290; [4], 283 [1bl], 4pp. publisher's adverts and 20pp. publisher's catalogue. Original brick red blind-stamped cloth with gilt lettering on spines, pale yellow endpapers. Binding is Carter variant A. Very slight bumping to corners and bottom edges. Internally very good. A nice set in excellent condition. The first volume has the ownership inscription of Mrs George Holgate Foster (repeated as Mrs G.H. Foster on the front pastedowns of the other two volumes). Records show a George Holgate Foster and his family living at The Holme, Inner Circle, Regent's Park. He was the Chairman of the London Joint-Stock Bank. His job and his house (one of the grandest private residences in London) mark Foster out as the very antithesis of the idealistic and downwardly mobile Felix Holt. Whether Foster's wife, whose copy this was, absorbed Eliot's radical political message we will never know.
Seller: Voewood Rare Books. ABA. ILAB. PBFA, Holt, United Kingdom
ELIOT, George. Felix Holt. The Radical.. , 1866.
Price: US$1539.92 + shipping
Description: Edinburgh and London: William Blackwood and Sons, 1866. 8vo., 3 vols; original brick red publisher's cloth, embossed in blind to boards, lettered and decorated in gilt to spines; pale yellow endpapers; pp. [v], 2-303, [i]; [v], 2-290; [v], 2-283, [i], [iv, ads]; slight lean to all three volumes, with some rubbing to edges and extremities, and dustiness to the upper edge; bookseller sticker to front paste-down of Vol I; previous ownership name in ink to prelims of Vols I and II, with light purple ink stamps to ffep of Vol II; internally, save for the odd spot, very clean, with occasional light corner creasing; hinges expertly strengthened; p. 26 to 27 of vol iii roughly opened. A very good set in the original publisher's cloth, with half titles present in all three volumes and the four page publisher's ads present to the rear of Vol III. First edition, in Carter's binding B. Felix Holt was Eliot's fourth novel and is, essentially, a love story set against the backdrop of political upheaval. At its core is Harold Transome, the young nobleman who has returned from the colonies with a self-made fortune, who scandalises the town by deciding to stand for Parliament as a radical; the idealistic Felix Holt (forthright, brusque and driven by a firm desire to educate the working-class); and Esther Lyon, the daughter of the local clergyman, who is torn between which of the two to choose for a husband. The novel is one of the least-read of Eliot's works, appearing after the great success of The Mill on the Floss, but before Middlemarch, the work which is perhaps her best-known, and much praised by figures such as Emily Dickenson and Florence Nightingale. Despite the initial mixed response, it is perhaps one of her more important novels in terms of her skillful commentary on the political establishment - something which is, perhaps, just as relevant today as it was then.
Seller: Henry Sotheran Ltd, London, United Kingdom
Eliot, George. Felix Holt, the Radical. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1866.
Price: US$1750.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Three volumes. First edition, in Carter's "A" binding, with 4 pages of publisher advertisements and no catalog at the rear of Volume III. Publisher's cinnamon cloth, decorative borders stamped in blind to the boards, spines lettered in gilt. Near fine set with some toning to spines, tiny spot of soiling to fore edge of Volume I text block, light spotting to fore edge of Volume II text block, bookseller's stamp to rear pastedowns, and some blackening to top edges of text blocks. Overall, an excellent, unsophisticated set with crisp pages. Housed in a custom brick-red slip case. Felix Holt, the Radical is a social novel by Mary Anne Evans, a top writer of the Victorian Era who chose to write under a male pseudonym so that her works would be taken more seriously. In addition to writing novels, she edited and contributed to the left-wing journal The Westminster Review as one of the only female editors of her time. Her novels were praised for being socially and politically conscious and realistic depictions of country life. In Felix Holt, Eliot examines the social changes that occurred in the English countryside as a result of the First Reform Act of 1832, which reformed Parliament to reflect the new urban and rural dynamics that resulted from the Industrial Revolution. Rather than explain the events leading up to this reform, Eliot focuses on how public political policies affect the private lives of rural Englishmen. Felix Holt tells the story of a tumultuous election in the fictional town Treby Magna in the English Midlands, a small village previously unaffected by political goings-on that has been thrust into political turmoil by the Reform Act. Published around the time of the Second Reform Act of 1867, which extended enfranchisement to the working class, nearly doubling England's number of eligible voters, Felix Holt is a retrospective text that considers past legislation in juxtaposition with the new reform.
Seller: B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
[LITERATURE] ELIOT, George. Felix Holt. William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh, 1866.
Price: US$1925.00 + shipping
Description: First printing, with the second state of the advertisements. Octavo (20cm) in three vols. In brick-red publisher's cloth, stamped in blind on boards and titled in gilt on spines, variant of Baker & Ross binding B; yellow coated endpapers; 4pp of ad leaves at rear of vol. III; vol. I: [iv], 303pp; vol II: [iv], 290pp; [iv], 283, [1], [1]-4pp. With the embossed ownership mark of "W. H Smith & Son Library" on front free endpaper of vol. I. An appealing copy, mildly cocked and rubbed at edges, with two or three small stains to cloth; internally clean, gathering K in vol. III pulled but holding, overall: Very Good. The binding largely corresponds to Baker & Ross binding B, but with a different cloth color, and with "W BLACKWOOD" instead of "BLACKWOOD" in the imprint; for a description of a similar copy, see Baker & Ross p. 232. BAKER & ROSS A8.1. SADLEIR 814.
Seller: Lorne Bair Rare Books, ABAA, Winchester, VA, U.S.A.
ELIOT, George.. Felix Holt.. London/Edinburg, William Blackwood and Sons, 1866., 1866.
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition, first printings. 8vo. Half titles. Original brown cloth with gilt stamped spines; yellow coated endpapers. Very good. 3 volumes. 4 pages of publisher's advertisements at end of volume III. A tight, fresh set, no foxing; hinges are sound. Small booksellers' ticket on the front pastedown of each volume (W.& G. Foyle and binders Edmonds and Remnants). Ink signature of Ethel Mason in volume I. Sadlier 814. Parrish p. 20.
Seller: Houle Rare Books/Autographs/ABAA/PADA, Palm Springs, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$2887.35 + shipping
Description: First edition, an exceptionally fresh set in the original cloth, in Carter's "A" binding. Set in the familiar midland countryside of Eliot's early novels, Felix Holt deals with the upheavals of society at the time of the first Reform Act of 1832, anticipating the election scenes in her next novel, Middlemarch. The work was well-received commercially and "nearly 5,000 copies were sold in the first year" (ODNB). Parrish pp. 20-1, Sadleir, XIX Century Fiction, 814. 3 volumes, octavo. Original brown cloth by Edmonds & Remnants, gilt lettering to spines, decorative frame blocked in blind to covers, yellow endpapers. With 4 pp. of publisher's adverts at end of vol. III. An excellent set, fresh in the original cloth, gilt titles very bright to spines, and only light rubbing to ends and corners, hinges entirely sound.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
ELIOT, George. Felix Holt, the Radical. , 1866.
Price: US$3025.00 + shipping
Description: ELIOT, George. Felix Holt, the Radical. Three vols. Orig. cloth. Edinburgh: William Blackwood & Sons, 1866. First edition. Sadleir 814. Wolff 2058. A fine set.
Seller: G.S. MacManus Co., ABAA, Bryn Mawr, PA, U.S.A.
ELIOT, George.. Felix Holt. The Radical.. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1866, 1866.
Price: US$3208.16 + shipping
Description: First edition, an attractive copy in the original cloth. Set in the familiar midland countryside of Eliot's early novels, Felix Holt deals with the upheavals of society at the time of the first Reform Act of 1832, anticipating the election scenes in her next novel, Middlemarch. The work was well-received commercially and nearly 5,000 copies were sold in the first year. In a famous contemporary review published in The Times, the literary critic E. S. Dallas proclaimed Eliot superior to her foremost rival, Jane Austen: "Hitherto Miss Austen has had the honour of first place among our lady novelists, but a greater than she has now arisen - a lady who in grasp of thought, in loftiness of feeling, in subtlety of expression, in fineness of humour, in reach of passion, and in all those sympathies which go to form the true artists has never been excelled. Felix Holt is certainly a work of rare genius" (26 June 1866, p. 6). This copy is in Baker & Ross's and Carter's binding D, the spines with "The Radical" appearing in the title and a small leafy ornament below, with dark yellow endpapers, and with the top edge untrimmed. Carter notes the superiority in appearance and relative scarcity of this binding variant compared to the others, pointing out that "D is quite a different-looking book, uniform in style with Adam Bede, Silas Mariner, and The Mill on the Floss" (p. 112). Baker & Ross, A8.1; Carter, Binding Variants, p. 111; Parrish, p. 20; Sadleir 814; Wolf 2058. Octavo. Original orange-brown ripple-grained cloth (Baker & Ross/Carter style D), spines decorated and lettered in gilt, covers blocked in blind with elaborate frame, dark yellow endpapers, top edge trimmed, others untrimmed. Housed in a custom brown morocco-backed solander box with brown cloth sides. Complete with 4 pp. of publisher's advertisements in vol. III (not present in all copies, see Baker & Ross). Gilt bright, trivial rubbing to edges, a few superficial splits to inner hinges, couple of small faint splash marks on 2 leaves in vol. I, otherwise clean. A bright, fresh set.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$3500.00 + shipping
Description: First edition. Three octavo volumes (7 5/8 x 4 3/4 inches; 194 x 122 mm). [iv], [1]-303, [1, blank]; [2], [1]-290; [iv], [1]- 283, [1, blank], [4, publisher's advertisements] pp. Half-title present in volume I and III. Original reddish brown sand-grain cloth with blind-stamped borders on covers and spines stamped and lettered in gilt (Carter's "B" binding). Mostly unopened. Pale yellow-coated endpapers. Light toning to half-title of volume I. An exceptionally bright, clean set. Housed in a cloth chemise and quarter green morocco slipcase. "Set in 1832 in Loamshire, [the book] vividly evokes the political ferment and corrupt electioneering tactics of the times." (Oxford Companion to English Literature) Carter, Binding Variants, pp. 111-112. Sadleir 814. Woolf 2058. Parrish. HBS 64972. $3,500.
Seller: Heritage Book Shop, ABAA, Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.
Price: US$8840.00 + shipping
Description: 197 x 123 mm. (7 3/4 x 5 7/8"). Three volumes. Very attractive late 19th century polished calf by Riviere & Son (stamp-signed on verso of front free endpaper), covers with triple gilt fillet border, rosettes at corners, raised bands, spines gilt in compartments with vase of flowers at center surrounded by small tools, leafy sprays at corners, one red and one green morocco label, turn-ins with floral gilt roll, marbled endpapers, top edges gilt. Front pastedowns with morocco bookplate of Robert Hoe. Baker & Ross A8.1. âA hint of sunning to spines and to half-inch at head of rear cover of volume I, but AN ESPECIALLY FINE SET--the text clean, fresh, and bright, and the bindings unworn. This is the handsomely bound Robert Hoe copy of a celebrated three-decker centering on a political election during the Reform Bill controversies of the 1830s. It is atypical as the author's only political novel, but typical in that it presents an engrossing sociological analysis through a close scrutiny of the provincial middle class. Characterized by Lord David Cecil as the first modern novelist, George Eliot (born Mary Ann Evans, 1819-80) brought to her work an impressive intellect that left a profound mark on the evolution of British fiction. After her, "the English novel would be not only the product of a sensitive observer and natural artist, but also the vehicle for ideas based upon a conscious rational philosophy." (Day) The beautiful bindings by the leading English workshop Riviere and the sparkling condition here are characteristic of books from the collection of our earlier owner Robert Hoe (1839-1911), founding member and first president of the Grolier Club. According to Beverly Chew, Hoe's library was "the finest [America] has ever contained." Hoe acquired illuminated manuscripts, early printing, French and English literature, and very fine bindings; when his library was sold in 1911-12, it fetched nearly $2 million, a record that held until the Streeter sale more than 50 years later. If a book has the Hoe bookplate, one can be assured that it was chosen with discrimination and will almost certainly be in as fine a state of preservation as could be hoped for.
Seller: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, U.S.A.