Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure [The Wessex Novels Volume VIII]. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., 1896.
Price: US$10.00 + shipping
Condition: Fair
Description: FAIR / NO DUST JACKET. viii, 517 pp. Text clean and unmarked except for previous owner's bookplate at front pastedown. Pages toned , especially at edges. Top edge gilt. Illustrated with a frontispiece engraving by H. Macbeth-Raeburn, and a map of Wessex at the back. Dark green cloth boards with floral decoration in gilt at front, and lettered in gilt at spine, lightly soiled and stained, edges rubbed, corners bumped and worn to boards, spine top very frayed and chipped, spine tail slightly frayed. Hinges cracked, but holding, textblock intact and stable.
Seller: RPL Library Store, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.
Thomas Hardy. Jude The Obscure (Wessex Novels Volume VIII). osgood, Mcilvaine and Co, 1896.
Price: US$21.65 + shipping
Condition: Poor
Description: Aged and tatty copy. Scuffing and some light signs of damage to the cover and content. Heavy tanning to the content, which is rippled in shape slightly but remains fine to read.
Seller: Hay-on-Wye Booksellers, Hay-on-Wye, HEREF, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. Osgood, McIlvaine, London, 1896.
Price: US$44.59 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: A copy in the uniform Wessex Novels series, this being volume 8. Covers have stains. Lacking the frontispiece. Contents clean and tight.
Seller: Beach Hut Books, Lingfield, United Kingdom
Price: US$57.33 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: From "Thomas Hardy's Works, The Wessex Novels Volume VIII. fronits Illus. "The Christminster" of the story, protected by tissue guard. Vignette Publishers Motif on title page. Green cloth cover with bright Gilt Floral Monogram on front and gilt lettering on spine. Top page edges Gilt, other edges untrimmed. 515 p. pages + Map of Wessex at the back. 8 1/4" Tall. Patchy fading to cloth at the back and a tiny tear in the cloth. Hinges sound and text block firm. No inscriptions except old penciled price.
Seller: Bay Books, Penzance, United Kingdom
Hardy Thomas. Jude the Obscure (The Wessex Novels Volume VIII). Osgood, McIlvaine and Co, 1896.
Price: US$63.64 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Dark green covers with gilt titles. With An Etching By H. Macbeth-Raeburn and a map of wessex. Previous owners bookplate and inscription. Corners bumped. Small marks to covers
Seller: M and M Books, Barkway, HERTS, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas:. Jude the Obscure. Osgood McIlvaine 1896, 1896.
Price: US$63.70 + shipping
Description: 1st edition but ex Redruth Literary & Scientific Institution with stamps to title page, Preface page and once or twice elsewhere, just for good measure. Usual dark cloth with gilt Hardy logo, but there has been repair in the past, and I'd suggest a rebinding in the future.
Seller: Poor Richards Books, Felixstowe, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas. The Wessex Novels (Vol. VIII): Jude the Obscure.. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., 1896.
Price: US$70.07 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Illus. with b.w. frontis and map. 8vo. orig. cl. t.e.g. Bds. and spine a little marked, inscrs., generally good.
Seller: Allsop Antiquarian Booksellers PBFA, Warwick, United Kingdom
Price: US$70.07 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First edition 1896. Volume eight in the Wessex novels edition. Frontispiece etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn & a map of Wessex at the end. Top edges gilt. Inner hinges cracked and slightly loose. Publishers green cloth rubbed and very slightly frayed at the top and bottom of the spine and corners. Cloth slightly darkened, else generally a very good copy. Gilt device on front cover. 516 p.
Seller: James Hine, Ilminster, SOMER, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas:. Jude the Obscure.. London: Osgood McIlvaine and Co, 1896.
Price: US$82.81 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition. HB. Dark green cloth, gilt title to spine and gilt motif to front cover of Hardy's initials with floral surround, no dustjacket. 516pp. With original etching by H.Macbeth-Raeburn as frontispiece (tissue guarded), and a map of Wessex at back. Rubbed cover edges but generally clean, front bright, spine slightly dulled ,lightly bumped corners with slight frayed cloth. Pages mostly very clean, browned closed edges, spotting and browning to endpapers and tissue, (etching clean), large early gift inscription to title page . A Very Good copy. Pictures available.
Seller: David Ford Books PBFA, Cley-next-the-Sea, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., London, 1896.
Price: US$175.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 8vo. Original green gilt stamped cloth; t.e.g. Slightly spine cocked. The Wessex Novel, volume VIII. First Edition of Hardy's last great novel.
Seller: Sanctuary Books, A.B.A.A., New York, NY, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure (Wessex Novels Volume VIII [8]). Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., 1896.
Price: US$181.50 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First book edition, following Harper's New Monthly Magazine serialization 1894-5 (Purdy 86-87), first of two states, with pagination on partially blank pages in signatures A-H. Lacks Wessex Map. Hinges just beginning to weaken, spine leans forward, newspaper clipping laid in with associated toning to adjacent pages. 1896 Hard Cover. vii, [1], 515, [1] pp. 8vo. Frontispiece etching by H. MacBeth-Raeburn. Hardy's last completed novel. Its protagonist, Jude Fawley, is a working-class young man, a stonemason, who dreams of becoming a scholar. The other main character is his cousin, Sue Bridehead, who is also his central love interest. The novel is concerned in particular with issues of class, education, religion, morality and marriage.
Seller: Yesterday's Muse, ABAA, ILAB, IOBA, Webster, NY, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. WESSEX TALES. , 1896.
Price: US$185.00 + shipping
Description: That is to say: An Imaginative Woman | The Three Strangers | The Withered Arm | Fellow-Townsmen | Interlopers at the Knap | and The Distracted Preacher. With an Etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn and a Map of Wessex. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1896. Original dark green cloth with monogram device in gilt. "Wessex Novels" edition -- containing the first American appearance of Hardy's short story "An Imaginative Woman," which he had recently written in 1893 (after TESS and before JUDE). WESSEX TALES was Hardy's first collection of short stories, originally published in two volumes in 1888; however it consisted of only the five other tales, which he had written by then. Osgood McIlvaine in the UK, and Harper in the US (as here), published this first uniform edition of Hardy's works, volume-by-volume during the period 1895-96. It is an important edition, because the text of every title was thoroughly revised by Hardy -- and with this title, he actually added a new tale. Hardy also wrote a Preface for each 1895-1896 volume, and here he says "[An Imaginative Woman] turns upon a physical possibility that may attach to women of imaginative temperament, and that is well supported by the experiences of medical men and other observers of such manifestations" -- specifically, if a pregnant woman becomes emotionally attached to a man who is not the father of her child, the child may acquire the characteristics of that other man. This copy is close to fine, with just a hint of wear at some corners. See Purdy p. 60 and pp 279-282.
Seller: Sumner & Stillman [ABAA], Yarmouth, ME, U.S.A.
Price: US$192.17 + shipping
Description: Good copy in the original title-blocked pictorial cloth. Spine bands worn with some wear and tear as with age. Remains well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Series; Thomas Hardy's works. The Wessex novels. vol. 8. Physical description; pp. vii, 515: plate; map. 20 cm. Subjects; Hardy, Thomas (1840-1928). 19th century fiction. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books Ltd., Galway, Ireland
Price: US$192.17 + shipping
Description: Good copy in the original gilt-blocked pictorial cloth. Slightest suggestion only of dust-dulling to the spine bands and panel edges. Remains well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Missing title page. Physical description; pp. vii, 515: plate; map. 20 cm. Subjects; Hardy, Thomas (1840-1928). 20th century fiction. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books Ltd., Galway, Ireland
Price: US$192.17 + shipping
Description: Good copy in the original gilt-blocked pictorial cloth. Slightest suggestion only of dust-dulling to the spine bands and panel edges. Remains well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description; pp. vii, 515: plate; map. 20 cm. Subjects; Hardy, Thomas (1840-1928). 20th century fiction. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books Ltd., Galway, Ireland
Thomas Hardy. Jude the Obscure. Osgood Mcilvaine and Co., 1896.
Price: US$200.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First edition. Octavo; hardcover, with gilt spine titles and upper board decoration; 515pp., top edge gilt, with an engraved frontispiece. Moderate wear; small cracks at the spine; text block edges toned offset to the endpapers; over zealous pages cut unevenly from page 425-433. Previous owner's name and small notation written on the front pastedown; Cracked front and back gutters. Each of the sixteen volumes has an etched frontispiece by Macbeth-Raeburn depicting a scene from the novel drawn "on the spot" (in this case Christminster) and a map of Wessex drawn by Hardy himself. Copies of this work exist in a "mixed state", a decision having been made after initial production to drop the page number from the last page of each chapter; thus, the signatures within the book vary according to format. In this copy, the last page of each chapters is not numbered in some and is numbered in others, In most copies, as here, the signatures vary slightly, presumably as later sheets were gradually altered to conform to the latter part of the book (ref: Purdy).
Seller: Ultra Premium Classics, Marstons Mills, MA, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co, London, 1896.
Price: US$216.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: An attractive, contemporary rebound copy of arguably Hardy's most popular novel in a custom slipcase. Gilt stamped titles and boarders on what appears to be full Morocco. Top edge gilt. Paginates complete with the original publishers cloth bound into the endpapers. Tissue not present at MacBeth-Raeburn plate (The "Christminster" of the Story") Front board detached. Pages clean and free of foxing.
Seller: Memento Mori Fine and Rare Books, Stafford, VA, U.S.A.
Price: US$219.14 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First edition of Thomas Hardy's final novel, the eighth volume in "The Wessex Novels" (thus published for the first time in book-form. Good condition Hardback NO Dust Jacket. Prior owner's signature to the inside front cover. Foxing to end papers and to page edges. Gilt to top edges. U5B39.
Seller: Eurobooks Ltd, Nottingham, United Kingdom
Price: US$220.00 + shipping
Description: Good copy in the original title-blocked pictorial cloth. Spine bands worn with some wear and tear as with age. Remains well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Series; Thomas Hardy's works. The Wessex novels. vol. 8. Physical description; pp. vii, 515: plate; map. 20 cm. Subjects; Hardy, Thomas (1840-1928). 19th century fiction. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$220.00 + shipping
Description: Good copy in the original gilt-blocked pictorial cloth. Slightest suggestion only of dust-dulling to the spine bands and panel edges. Remains well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Missing title page. Physical description; pp. vii, 515: plate; map. 20 cm. Subjects; Hardy, Thomas (1840-1928). 20th century fiction. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$220.00 + shipping
Description: Good copy in the original gilt-blocked pictorial cloth. Slightest suggestion only of dust-dulling to the spine bands and panel edges. Remains well-preserved overall; tight, bright, clean and strong. Physical description; pp. vii, 515: plate; map. 20 cm. Subjects; Hardy, Thomas (1840-1928). 20th century fiction. 1 Kg.
Seller: MW Books, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Thomas Hardy. Jude the obscure. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., 1896.
Price: US$254.52 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Deep green cloth, light bumps. With an etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn and a map of Wessex. Tissue guard for the etching.
Seller: ShepherdsBook, Yvonand, Switzerland
Thomas Hardy. Wessex tales. Harper & Brothers, 1896.
Price: US$279.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: 1896, First Edition. New York: Harper & Brothers. Original dark green cloth with monogram device in gilt. Front board has 4 small spots, otherwise very good condition. 291 unmarked pages in very good condition, albeit yellowed from age. With an Etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn and a Map of Wessex That is to say: An Imaginative Woman | The Three Strangers | The Withered Arm | Fellow-Townsmen | Interlopers at the Knap | and The Distracted Preacher. "Wessex Novels" edition -- containing the first American appearance of Hardy's short story "An Imaginative Woman," which he had recently written in 1893 (after TESS and before JUDE). WESSEX TALES was Hardy's first collection of short stories, originally published in two volumes in 1888; however it consisted of only the five other tales, which he had written by then. Osgood McIlvaine in the UK, and Harper in the US (as here), published this first uniform edition of Hardy's works, volume-by-volume during the period 1895-96. It is an important edition, because the text of every title was thoroughly revised by Hardy -- and with this title, he actually added a new tale. Hardy also wrote a Preface for each 1895-1896 volume, and here he says "[An Imaginative Woman] turns upon a physical possibility that may attach to women of imaginative temperament, and that is well supported by the experiences of medical men and other observers of such manifestations" -- specifically, if a pregnant woman becomes emotionally attached to a man who is not the father of her child, the child may acquire the characteristics of that other man. This copy is close to fine, with just a hint of wear at some corners.
Seller: Taylor & Baumann Books, LLC, Ridgefield, CT, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. JUDE THE OBSCURE. (Osgood, McIlvaine and Co.: London), 1896.
Price: US$287.50 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Frontis "Christminster"; map at rear, 8 x 5.5", later 3/4 blue leather; marbled boards, SIGNED BINDING BY SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE; teg, covers rubbed, extremities lightly bumped and worn, front outer hinge starting, missing lower spine label, pp edge-toned, ink presentation by former owner on front blank, but still a decent copy with the original covers and spine bound in at rear. FIRST EDITION, Second State with pages 72, 87, 98, 108, 116 and 126 numbered.
Seller: John K King Used & Rare Books, Detroit, MI, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. JUDE THE OBSCURE. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., London, 1896.
Price: US$350.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: This book is hard-bound in green cloth with gilt stamping on the upper cover and spine. The covers show light scuffing, edge-wear, and rubbing to the corners and spine-ends. There is a repaired tear to the head of the spine and other wear at the corners. The text-block is loosening at some spots, with the hinges cracked. This copy is the Earliest State, which is to say that the last pages of the chapters are numbered in all of the gatherings "A" through "H"; thereafter in the book (as in all copies), all such pages are un-numbered. Many copies have some of all of the "A" through "H" pages un-numbered (like the rest of the book), presumably as later sheets were altered to make the book uniform from beginning to end. Purdy pp 86-91.
Seller: Hoffman Books, ABAA, IOBA, Columbus, OH, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. JUDE THE OBSCURE.The Wessex Novels Volume VIII. Osgood, McIlvaine, London, 1896.
Price: US$400.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Octavo. Etched frontispiece by H. Macbeth-Raeburn with tissue guard and map of Wessex rfep. A very good+ copy bound in original green cloth with gilt lettering spine, gilt design front cover, top edge gilt. Mild cover edge wear, mild spotting ffep, slight scuffing lower spine. Purdy bibliography mentions two distinct states of signatures A - H, with or without page numbers on partially blank pages. This copy has mixed states of these signatures. vii, 515 pp. + map.
Seller: Charles Parkhurst Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Surprise, AZ, U.S.A.
HARDY, THOMAS.. Jude The Obscure. London: Osgood, McIlvaine, 1896, 1896.
Price: US$400.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition. Very good All books described as first editions are first printings unless otherwise noted.
Seller: Peter L. Stern & Co., Inc, Newton, MA, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. JUDE THE OBSCURE. , 1896.
Price: US$425.00 + shipping
Description: With an Etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn and a Map of Wessex. (London:) James R. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., (1896). Original dark blue-green cloth with front cover monogram device in gilt. First Edition of Hardy's last great novel, issued as Vol. VIII of "The Wessex Novels." Titled HEARTS INSURGENT at the time of its serial appearance, the book was ahead of its time: the 1890s public was not ready for Hardy's depiction of Jude and his cousin Sue settling down together and having two children (though unmarried) -- let alone, the death by hanging of his child and their two. After TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES (1891) and then JUDE (and due to the outcry over them), Hardy was to spend his remaining 30+ years writing only verse. In this copy, the last pages of chapters are numbered in gatherings "A" through "H" excepting "B" (such pages are never numbered in gatherings "I" onward). In most copies, as here, some but not all of the first eight gatherings have numbered pages, presumably before sheets were gradually altered to conform to the latter part of the book.; in other words, except for pages 25 and 32 (in gathering "B") being un-numbered, this copy is the earliest possible state. This is a very good-plus, perhaps near-fine copy (some faint speckling on the front cover, front endpaper with hairline crack, Hardy portrait affixed to the front paste-down). Purdy pp 86-91.
Seller: Sumner & Stillman [ABAA], Yarmouth, ME, U.S.A.
Price: US$495.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo (20.5cm.); original dark green gilt-embossed cloth, top edge gilt; v,[3],515pp.; engraved frontispiece and full-page map. Spine a hint cocked, some foxing to preliminaries else Very Good to Near Fine. Contemporary ownership inscription of an N. (or W.?) D'Oyly Gaby to front free endpaper. The Wessex Novels Vol. VIII. PURDY, p. 86.
Seller: Lorne Bair Rare Books, ABAA, Winchester, VA, U.S.A.
HARDY, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. Osgood McIlvaine and CO, London, 1896.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Description: 1896 [but 1895] First Edition, Octavo, 3/4 leather over green, blue, gilt, and white marbled boards, gilt stamped lettering and design on spine, five raised bands on spine, gilt top edge, black and white frontispiece. English novelist and poet Thomas Hardy's last completed novel, concerning a young stonemason who dreams of becoming a scholar. Good, previous owner's bookplate on front pastedown, front hinge cracked and front flyleaf detached completely, spine leather dried and flaking, heavy wear.
Seller: Yesterday's Gallery, ABAA, East Woodstock, CT, U.S.A.
HARDY, Thomas.. Jude The Obscure.. James Osgood McIlvaine & Co., (London), 1896.
Price: US$505.32 + shipping
Description: First edition. (first state with Osgood name on verso of title, and a mixed issue (as usual) of signatures A-H with no numbers on partial pages ending chapters in A-D. Tall 8vo., orig. green cloth with "TH" monogram in gilt on upper cover, (viii), (516) , 1 p. map of wessex. Ownership inscription, a trace of wear to the spine ends, lower corner of the upper board slightly bumped, cloth puckered at corner (a binding flaw) but certainly a very good copy of Hardys final novel. Purdy p.86-91.
Seller: David Mason Books (ABAC), Toronto, ON, Canada
Thomas Hardy. Jude The Obscure. Osgood, McIlvaine and CO, 1896.
Price: US$509.99 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! British first edition, first printing. No jacket as issued. Book comes in a Very Good + slipcase. Slipcase has minor wear to corners & edges. A hard cover wrap is also put on the book before it goes into the slipcase. Jacket is NOT price clipped. Covers are clean and bright. Edges are sharp. No tears or creases. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. The binding is straight and tight. Osgood, McIlvaine and CO on spine of book and copyright page. NO remainder mark.
Seller: The Book Scouts, Sanborn, NY, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., London, 1896.
Price: US$520.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: London: Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., 1896. Octavo. Hardcover. First edition. Green cloth boards with gilt lettering and design to the front board. Top edge of the text block gilt. Gift inscription to the half title page. Includes the map; frontispiece is bright. In gatherings A-H, only missing pages 38, 47, 88; indicates that this is an early state. The slightest bit of rubbing to the corners of the boards and the crown and foot of the spine. Two tiny tears to the crown of the spine. Spine has a slight lean. A beautiful copy in near fine condition.
Seller: Bad Animal, Santa Cruz, CA, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. London: Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., 1896.
Price: US$600.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Octavo, green cloth lettered in gilt, top edge gilt, lightly soiled with a touch of foxing to the endpapers. First edition, issued as volume 8 of "The Wessex Novels"; with an etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn and a map of Wessex prepared by Hardy. Fourteen of eighteen last pages of chapters are numbered in the gatherings "A" through "H," indicating that this is a largely first state copy. (Purdy p. 87.) Robert George Morton's copy, with the barrister's library bookplate on the front pastedown. A superb copy of Hardy's last great novel
Seller: North Star Rare Books & Manuscripts, Sheffield, MA, U.S.A.
Price: US$611.54 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Etched frontispiece by H. MacBeth-Raeburn, full-page map of Hardy's 'Wessex' at end, occasional marginal light foxing, endpapers foxed, original dark green grained cloth, gilt, some fading and staining, cocked, gold top.Book label and ownership signature o Gregory Drew. A very good copy. [Purdy pp.86-87], The Christminster of the novel is modelled on Oxford and Tetuphenay on Benjamin Jowett, Master of Balliol. Provenance: Gregory Drew, graduate of Worcester College, Oxford, and later a cataloguer at the Taylorian Library.
Seller: Collinge & Clark, London, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas.. Jude the Obscure (SIGNED).. London: Osgood McIlvaine & Co., 1896.
Price: US$650.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Green cloth with gilt ornament on cover. Large thick octavo. 516pp. Frontispiece and map. First edition in book form of the author's controversial last novel. This is the presumed first issue with the Osgood name on the spine and copyright page and with pagination to all partially blank chapter endings in signatures A through H and none to the chapter endings thereafter. This copy has a card affixed to the front pastedown with a 23-line autograph note by Hardy signed with his initials declining a social engagement. The engraved frontis is by Henry Macbeth-Raeburn and the autograph map at the end shows the Wessex of Hardy's novels. A very good copy with a tear to the top of the spine and some light cover marking. The text is very good with some light soiling and wear. A few pages are chipped at the right edge and one page has a small piece chipped away from the right blank margin.
Seller: Centerbridge Books, Old Saybrook, CT, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. JUDE THE OBSCURE. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co. 1896 [but 1895], London, 1896.
Price: US$650.00 + shipping
Description: First Impression, mixed state, with gatherings A-B, D, and F showing partially-blank pages unnumbered, and gatherings C, E, G-H numbered. Octavo (20.75cm); vertically-ribbed hunter green cloth, with titling and decorative elements stamped in gilt on spine and front cover; top edge gilt; viii,515,[3]pp, with illustrated frontispiece etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn, and terminal map of Wessex. Mild offsetting and foxing to endpapers, a few leaves with some trivial thumb-soil to margins, with some faint rubbing along upper rear joint, else Near Fine. Attractive copy of Hardy's last completed novel, centered around Jude Fawley, a stonemason who dreams of becoming a scholar. Purdy, pp.86-91.
Seller: Captain Ahab's Rare Books, ABAA, Stephenson, VA, U.S.A.
Thomas Hardy. Jude the Obscure. Published by Osgood, McIlvaine, and Co, London, 1896, 1896.
Price: US$650.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: One of Hardy s greatest novels, here in the hard to find First Edition, First State with all page numbers present on partial blanks in gatherings A - H. Jude the Obscure. By Thomas Hardy. With an Etching by H. Macbeth Raeburn and a Map of Wessex. The letter killeth. All Rights Reserved. The publication history reads: Osgood, McIlvaine, and Co., 45 Albemarle Street, London, 1896. The volume is paginated as follows: viii, 516 p. The volume measures 20.8 x 14.5 x 4 cm. Each leaf measures 200 x 135 mm First Edition, Perfect First State. The page numbering was altered during printing, so that sigs. A-H exist in two distinct states, often found mixed. In the first state page numbers are present on partially blank pages, but this was later altered to omit numbers at the chapter endings. In this copy all page numbers are present in gatherings A H (Pg. 1 128) except for the full blank Pg. 88. All partially blank pages have page numbers making this copy a perfect First State. Original green cloth, titles to spine and roundel to front board gilt, top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Endpapers still fresh and not browned with only slight foxing, light markings to the cloth, corners slightly bumped. Etched frontispiece on series-title verso, with original tissue guard (now foxed), map of Wessex at end. Pages clean, bright, not browned, with minimal chips, and fox marks. A very good to near fine copy. Purdy, 86-91.
Seller: Third Floor Rare Books, Carp, ON, Canada
Hardy Thomas. JUDE THE OBSCURE. London Osgood, McIlvaine and Company 1896, 1896.
Price: US$654.50 + shipping
Description: First Edition, early state with partially black pages unnumbered in gatherings A, B, and C but numbered in E through H. With an etched illustration as frontispiece by H. Macbeth-Raeburn, and at the end, a map of Wessex. 8vo, in the original dark green ribbed cloth, lettered in gilt on spine, and with the floral gilt T/H decorative monogram on the upper cover, edges untrimmed, t.e.g. viii, 516, map. A handsome copy, the text a bit mellowed primarily at the prelims and the binding a bit shaken, the cloth is well preserved, dark and without fading though the rear cover appears a bit blemished in an area next to the spine, endleaves with some oof the usual browning to which the title is prone. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL CLOTH OF JUDE THE OBSCURE, perhaps the most unbiased consideration in English fiction of the more complicated questions of sex.[Hardy's] knowledge of woman confirms him in a suspension of judgment; his knowledge of nature brings him nearer to the unchanging and consoling element in the world. His peasants have been compared with Shakespeare's; he has the Shakespearean sense of their placid [existence], with an unconscious wisdom in their close, narrow and undistracted view of things.
Seller: Buddenbrooks, Inc., Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas,. JUDE THE OBSCURE. Osgood, Mcilvaine and Co.,, London, 1896.
Price: US$668.87 + shipping
Description: [2] viii,516pp, frontis, map.The Wessex Novels No VIII. Un-faded original green binding, with gilt TH monograph to front board. A little foxing and a trifle toned but a near fine copy with a tight text block unfaded binding. T.e.g. Illustrated with a frontispiece etching by H Macbeth Raeburn and a map of Wessex. PLEASE EMAIL FOR PHOTOS. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall
Seller: THOMAS RARE BOOKS, Yaxley, SUFFOLK, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. [Osgood, McIlvaine & Co.] [1896], London, 1896.
Price: US$720.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Bound in publisher's original green cloth with gilt medallion on cover, spine stamped in gilt, and top edge gilt. First edition in book form. Frontispiece illustration of the "Christminster" of the story by H. Macbeth-Raeburn, with a tissue guard bound in. Map of Wessex at the end of the book. Minor wear at corners. Volume VIII of the author's Wessex novels.
Seller: James & Mary Laurie, Booksellers A.B.A.A, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
Price: US$797.55 + shipping
Description: 8vo., First Edition, on laid paper, with etched frontispiece (original tissue guard present) and full-page map in the text; handsomely bound in full dark green crushed morocco, sides with gilt frame border, back with raised bands, second and fourth compartments lettered and ruled in gilt, all other compartment tooled in gilt, gilt top, hand-made endpapers, uncut, ribbon marker, original gilt from backstrip and 'TH' motif from upper board mounted on new and separate leaves at front, custom-made marbled slip-case, a most attractive copy ideal as a gift or for presentation. Published as Vol. VIII in Osgood's 'Wessex Novels', the first uniform and complete edition of Hardy's works which had commenced publication the year before. 'The edition is an important one. The text of every novel was thoroughly and carefully revised, the topography (names and distances) corrected where necessary, chapters frequently retitled, and much rewriting done. In addition Hardy prepared a special preface for each volume' (Purdy p.281). Each of the sixteen volumes has an etched frontispiece by Macbeth-Raeburn depicting a scene from the novel drawn on the spot (in this case 'The Christminster of the Story') and a map of Wessex drawn by Hardy himself. In terms of book production, these are undoubtedly the finest trade editions of Hardy's works. AN ELEGANT COPY. See Purdy, pp.86-91, 281.
Seller: Island Books, Thakeham, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co, London, 1896.
Price: US$1000.00 + shipping
Description: Macbeth-Raeburn, H. First edition of Thomas Hardy's final novel, the eighth volume in The Wessex Novels; published for the first time in a book. Illustrated, [viii] 516 pp. 8vo. First edition of Hardy's final novel. Bound in forest green half morocco backed marble boards with gilt ruling, gilt titles on five-banded spine, and t.e.g. Marble endpapers with handsome bookplate of heiress Gustavia Senff on upper pastedowns, bump to top edge and front hinge neatly repaired Illustrated, [viii] 516 pp. 8vo First edition of Thomas Hardy's final novel, the eighth volume in The Wessex Novels; published for the first time in a book.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
HARDY, Thomas. Jude the Obscure. Osgood, McIlvaine, London, 1896.
Price: US$1500.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Illustrated with an etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn as frontispiece and a map of Wessex at rear. 516 pages. Thick 8vo, handsomely rebound in full forest green morocco, gilt decorated spine, original design on front cover inlaid, single rule to covers. (London: Osgood, McIlvaine, 1896). First edition. Fine.
Seller: Argosy Book Store, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$5000.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of Thomas Hardy's controversial final novel, the eighth volume in his uniform series of Wessex Novels, accompanied by a letter to his friend Edward Clodd reporting his progress on the work. The story of a stonemason whose higher aspirations are brutally crushed, Jude the Obscure was the subject of immediate backlash: "his dreams were as gigantic as his surroundings were small." Hardy's attack on class snobbery and compulsory marriage, and his sympathetic portrayal of a family created out of wedlock, so outraged readers that he abandoned the writing of novels altogether, turning to poetry in his final decades. Tipped into this copy is a four-page letter, dated September 2, 1894, sent by Hardy to his longtime friend, banker and man of letters Edward Clodd. Hardy regrets not seeing more of Clodd that summer, and confides that "the announcement in the D. Chronicle represents me as being considerably more advanced than I am with the tale [of Jude the Obscure.]" Hardy expresses his hope for a "tremendous holiday" in the future: "a night or two ago, when I was standing on the Quay at Weymouth just before the departure of the Channel boat, I felt inclined to walk aboard & go across under the starlight." Hardy also alludes to upcoming renovations at Max Gate: "I have abandoned my first rather extensive plan & am only doing a few things absolutely necessary." First issue, with Osgood's name on verso of title and gilt-stamped spine. Mixed state: signature A with unpaginated chapter endings on pages 7 and 16, signatures B-H with paginated chapter endings. Purdy, 86-91, Sadleir 1108. A near-fine copy of a major novel, with original letter from Hardy concerning its progress. Octavo, measuring 8 x 5.5 inches: [2], viii, 516. Original green ribbed cloth stamped and lettered in gilt, "TH" gilt monogram to upper board, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. Etched frontispiece, map of Wessex after text. Bookseller label to front pastedown: "Neal's Library / English Stationery / 248 Rue de Rivoli / Paris." Hinges cracked, lacking scarce dust jacket. Tipped in: four-page ALS to Edward Clodd, on Hardy's Max Gate letterhead, dated September 2, 1894. Housed in a custom clamshell box.
Seller: Honey & Wax Booksellers, ABAA, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. JUDE THE OBSCURE (Inscribed First Edition). Osgood, McIlvaine, 1896.
Price: US$14500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: HARDY, Thomas. JUDE THE OBSCURE. London: Osgood, McIlvaine, and Co., 1896 [but 1895]. 8vo. Frontispiece plate by Henry Macbeth-Raeburn (tissue-guard loose) and map of Wessex bound at end. FIRST EDITION, First State, first published as the eighth volume in his uniform series of Hardy's Wessex Novels. Bound in original publisher's original green cloth, gilt, with signatures A-H having all pages numbered. A Very Good copy with some wear to its extremities and boards, and one inner hinge starting to crack. This INSCRIBED COPY, bearing the author's typical "Yours Faithfully/ Thomas Hardy" written on the title page, has the same first print run pagination as all of Hardy's other recorded presentation copies of JUDE. Opposite Hardy's inscription, in a different hand, is the presumed first owner's full name and address -- a local farm in West Meon, Sussex, quite near Winchester, the capitol of Hardy's Upper Wessex -- where Tess Durbeyfield was imprisoned and executed). A second previous owner's stamp can be found on the front free endpaper. JUDE THE OBSCURE, often cited as Hardy's most important novel, has an iconic status in the history of English literature, the bridge which links the Victorian Era and the Modern Era. Perhaps due to initially savage critical reviews, Hardy appears to have avoided signing copies of JUDE THE OBSCURE. This being only the third one we've seen since the auction of H. Bradley Martin's world class Hardy collection at Sotheby's New York in May 1990. One of Hardy's recorded presentation copies of JUDE to the Duchess of Abercorn (1848-1929) was sold by us for $60,000 in 2009 (admittedly still retaining its dust jacket which is not true in this case or most cases.) Purdy, pp. 86-91. Housed in a custom green folding case.
Seller: Lakin & Marley Rare Books ABAA, Mill Valley, CA, U.S.A.
HARDY, Thomas.. Jude the Obscure.. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., [London], 1896.
Price: US$37500.00 + shipping
Description: viii, 516 pp. With an Etching by H. Macbeth-Raeburn and a map of Wessex. 8vo, original green ribbed cloth, t.e.g., in dust jacket. Preserved in a custom slipcase and chemise. First edition; first state. Just about fine in a beautiful dust jacket with one tiny chip to the top of the backstrip. The Wessex Novels Volume VIII.
Seller: Jeffrey H. Marks, Rare Books, ABAA, Rochester, NY, U.S.A.