HARDY, Thomas. The Trumpet-Major. A Tale. Smith, Elder, & Co, London, 1880.

Price: US$1500.00 + shipping

Description: First Edition, 3 volumes, Sextodecimo, _ leather over green, blue, gilt, and white marbled boards, gilt stamped lettering and design on spine, five raised bands on spine, gilt top edge. One of 1000 copies, half title in each volume, English poet and novelist Thomas Hardy's only historical novel. Very good, previous owners bookplate on front pastedown in each volume, some shelf wear, spine edges, ends and some corners rubbed, leather on spine flaking.

Seller: Yesterday's Gallery, ABAA, East Woodstock, CT, U.S.A.

HARDY, THOMAS.. The Trumpet-Major. London: Smith, Elder, 1880, 1880.

Price: US$2000.00 + shipping

Description: First Edition. Three volumes; bound by Bayntun, Riviere in green full polished calf; with half titles and the original cloth bound in at the rear of each volume; marbled endpapers; gilt ruled; all edges gilt; raised bands with gilt lettering and decorations; red and blue spine labels. Very light foxing and wear; an excellent set. 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. The Trumpet Major. Smith, Elder & Co, London, 1880.

Price: US$3000.00 + shipping

Description: First edition. vi, 295; vi, 276; vi, 259 pp. Half-titles. 3 vols. 8vo. First edition of Hardy's "primarily comic but sometimes poignant Wessex story of sexual rivalry and fraternal loyalty during the period of the Napoleonic wars" (ODNB), an effort lighter in tone than his previous novel, The Return of the Native, which was not well received. Purdy, pp. 31-35 Half-calf and marbled boards, expertly rebacked to style, spine gilt in compartments, red and green morocco spine labels lettered in gilt, t.e.g., marbled endpapers. Some light rubbing and wear to boards, but a nice copy in an attractive binding vi, 295; vi, 276; vi, 259 pp. Half-titles. 3 vols. 8vo

Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.

HARDY, Thomas.. The Trumpet-Major. A Tale.. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1880, 1880.

Price: US$3206.90 + shipping

Description: First edition in book form of the author's great novel set in the Napoleonic war, written to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Trafalgar, and incorporating comic elements to move away from its darker predecessor The Return of the Native (1878). Hardy compiled in the work the three separate strands which at that time most affected his life. One strand was his own Dorset background, and in particular the idea of a family reminiscence; another is the strand of historical study, and in particular the concentration he was then giving to the years 1804-5 and the effect of the then recent French Revolution. "These two strands. are firmly woven into the construction of the novel, and give it remarkable unity and a steady sense of reality. Hardy was determined that the charges of unreality, brought against 'The Return of the Native', should not be repeated" (Gittings, p. 397). The third strand, natural in that Hardy was then writing with an idea of how his books might appear onstage, is that the characters are "universal figures from the traditional rituals of the theatre". "It was an inspired time to begin dramatic work. Ellen Terry had joined [Henry] Irving as his leading lady in 1878. Hardy's concentration in 1879 on theatrical matters held a great importance for the novel he was writing. The pattern of the book, embracing nearly every major character, derives from the old Italian Comedy of Masks, whose debased form, the harlequinade, was showing in nearly every Victorian theatre, burlesque and ballet" (ibid.). It was published on 26 October before the conclusion of the slightly bowdlerized serial in Good Words, which ran from January to December 1880. Purdy, pp. 31-5; Sadleir 1115; Woolf 2995. Robert Gittings, Thomas Hardy, 2001. 3 volumes, octavo (182 x 121 mm). Contemporary red half morocco, spines lettered and ruled in gilt, floral gilt device in compartments, sides and corners ruled with twin gilt fillets, marbled sides and endpapers, top edges gilt. Bound with half-titles. A little rubbing and occasional spot of wear to extremities, neatly retouched, foxing to outer leaves, occasional marks to contents, still very good indeed.

Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom

Hardy, Thomas. THE TRUMPET MAJOR: A tale. Smith, Elder and Co, London, 1880.

Price: US$5012.23 + shipping

Description: In three volumes. Pp. vi+296(last blank)+vi+276+vi+260(last blank); pictorial red cloth, lettered and decorated in gilt & black, lower boards with double blind ruled border, the cloth slightly soiled and rubbed, edges lightly worn, the corners bruised, spines darkened and gilt slightly dulled; top edges uncut; later endpapers, initial stamp on title pages, a few tiny edge splits or chips, a little faint foxing and creasing, slight bleeding of cloth colour onto fore-edge of Contents page Volume I, scattered soiling; Smith, Elder & Co., London, 1880. First edition, primary binding. Purdy p. 31; Sadleir 1115. *Novel set during the Napoleonic wars; originally published in monthly instalments in Good Words, from January to December 1880.

Seller: Kay Craddock - Antiquarian Bookseller, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

HARDY, Thomas. Trumpet-Major a Tale. Smith, Elder, & Co., London, 1880.

Price: US$5500.00 + shipping

Description: A Tale. In Three Volumes. London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1880. First edition in book form (first printed serially in Good Words from January to December 1880). Three octavo volumes (7 1/4 x 4 5/8 inches; 185 x 125 mm) . [i]- vi, 295, [1, blank]; [i]-vi, 276; [2, blank], vi, 259, [1, blank] pp. Volumes I & II without preliminary blank. Publisher's primary binding of volume I and secondary binding of volumes II and III all of red diagonal-fine-ribbed cloth, the only difference being back covers stamped in blind with double-rule (vol. I) or triple-rule (vols II & III) border. Front covers decoratively stamped in black with a three-panel design incorporating two vignettes, an encampment at top, a mill at bottom, and lettering in the center panel. Spines decoratively stamped in gilt and black with standard, sword, and bugle, and lettered in blind and gilt (with imprint at foot of spine: Smith, Elder & Co.). Yellow coated endpapers. Spines of all volumes a bit darkened. Cloth of all spines with some wrinking as well as to cloth of back board of volume one. A bit of soiling and rubbing to cloth. Some light shelfwear to spines. Previous owner's bookplate on front pastedown of each volume. Occasional thumb soiling along fore-edges. Volumes slightly skewed. Overall a good set housed in a quarter morocco drop-down clamshell and chemise. The Trumpet-Major was published in an edition of 1,000 copies on 26 October 1880. Hardy himself drew the two vignettes for the front cover. Purdy, pp. 31-35. Sadleir 1115. Webb, pp. 14-15. Wolff 2995a. HBS 65765. $5,500.

Seller: Heritage Book Shop, ABAA, Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.

Thomas Hardy. The Trumpet Major. Smith, Elder & Company, 1880.

Price: US$7000.00 + shipping

Condition: Very Good

Description: The Trumpet Major (3 Volumes) 1880 Very Good Plus Secondary binding with three blind rule border at rear board 1 of 1000 copies Additional Photos Available Upon Request Smith, Elder & Company - UK

Seller: D & L Fine Books, Richboro, PA, U.S.A.

Hardy (Thomas). The Trumpet Major. A Tale. In Three Volumes.. Smith Elder & Co, 1880.

Price: US$7055.19 + shipping

Description: FIRST EDITION, without the preliminary blanks in vols. ii and iii (present in vol. i), some finger marking and minor stains, a few slightly careless openings, tear in upper margin of one leaf in vol. ii approaching but not touching the text, pp. [ii], vi, 296; vi, 276; vi, 260, 8vo, original primary binding of red diagonal-fine-ribbed cloth, blocked in black on front with a 3-panel design incorporating 2 vignettes (designed by Hardy), blocked in blind on back with a 2-rule border, spine blocked in gold and black with standard, sword and bugle, and lettered in blind and gold, ex-circulating-library copy with evidence of labels removed from top panel on front covers, rebacked, original spines preserved though with minor loss at head and tail and with the loss of a terminal letter on the spine imprint of 2 vols., spines a bit dulled, recased, sound. First edition in book form of Hardy's great novel of the Napoleonic war, written to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. Although there is no getting away from the fact that this is an ex-circulating-library copy, it is, in the scheme of things, not all that bad, respectable even. The binding here is Purdey's primary binding, variant with the period after Smith. Elder & Co. beneath the superscript 'o', as opposed to a dash. Purdy conjectures that this might represent the second binding order of 150 copies. Sadleir's Variant A. (Purdy pp.31-35; Sadleir 1115)

Seller: Blackwell's Rare Books ABA ILAB BA, Oxford, United Kingdom

Hardy, Thomas. The Trumpet Major. Smith, Elder & Co, London, 1880.

Price: US$7500.00 + shipping

Description: First edition, one of 1000 copies. vi, 295; vi, 276; vi, 259 pp. 3 vols. 8vo. First edition, in original cloth. First edition of Hardy's "primarily comic but sometimes poignant Wessex story of sexual rivalry and fraternal loyalty during the period of the Napoleonic wars" (ODNB), an effort lighter in tone than his previous novel, The Return of the Native, which was not well received. Purdy, pp. 31-35. Provenance: T.E. Harrison, Whitburn (bookplates) Original red diagonal-fine-ribbed cloth, upper covers blocked in black with vignettes designed by Hardy, spines stamped in gilt and black with standard, sword and bugle, the less common secondary binding with three-rule border on lower covers. Spines a touch toned, hinges volume 2 cracked, minor soiling and wear to covers, still an attractive copy. Housed in red cloth folding chemise and slipcase vi, 295; vi, 276; vi, 259 pp. 3 vols. 8vo

Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.

Hardy, Thomas. THE TRUMPET-MAJOR. A Tale. In Three Volumes. , 1880.

Price: US$9750.00 + shipping

Description: [a dazzling set] London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1880. Original red cloth pictorially decorated in black. First Edition of one of Hardy's least-known novels. Written during the year 1879 and serialized in the magazine Good Words (where it was bowdlerized by its Scottish clergyman editor), it is a tale in which Hardy combined the three separate strands which at that time most affected his life. One strand was his own Dorset background, and in particular the idea of a family reminiscence; another is the strand of historical study, and in particular the concentration he was then giving to the years 1804-1805 and the effect of the then-recent French Revolution. These two strands. are firmly woven into the construction of the novel, and give it remarkable unity and a steady sense of reality. Hardy was determined that the charges of unreality, brought against The Return of the Native, should not be repeated. [quotes from Gittings] The third strand, natural in that Hardy was then writing with an idea of how his books might appear onstage, is that the characters are "universal figures from the traditional rituals of the theatre". In any event, The Trumpet-Major was "a triumphant success with the critics"; however, in spite of Hardy himself drawing the two vignettes for the volumes' front covers, the novel in book form did not sell well. On this copy the blank rear covers have a blind-stamped three-rule border: of the 1000 copies printed, 600 were issued with a two-rule-border (almost entirely to lending libraries), and then 150 (including this one) were issued with the three-rule-border a month or two later; the remaining 250 unbound quires were remaindered two years later. This is a bright set, with the decorative bright red front covers as vivid as could be; the spines are as always slightly darkened (though their substantial gilt remains unusually bright), and there is some very faint soil on the rear covers. Vol I has a light shadow in the upper margin of the last few leaves (plus a tiny hole in the last 25 or so leaves), and Vol II has a string-indent at the front cover fore-edge. The delicate original pale-yellow endpapers are cracked, but deftly re-glued so that the volumes are tight, without any later endpapers or strips. In all, condition is near-fine. Since the three-decker format was intended to be rented rather than bought by the public (the vast majority of first edition copies going directly to lending libraries), it is becoming virtually impossible to find Hardy's pre-1894 novels in any better condition. Purdy pp 31-35. Housed in a handsome morocco-backed slipcase with three gilt-numbered chemises. Provenance: each front paste-down bears the bookplate of Arthur B[arnette]. Spingarn (1878-1971), a lawyer who (like his elder brother, the educator Joel Spingarn) was a leader in the struggle for equal rights for African-Americans. Spingarn was one of few White Americans who, during the 1900s decade, supported the radical demands for racial justice being voiced by W.E.B. DuBois, in contrast to the gradualist views of Booker T. Washington. Until 1939 Spingarn served as the chairman of the NAACP's National Legal Committee (which also included Felix Frankfurter and Clarence Darrow), and subsequently he was NAACP president from 1939 to 1966. He had a major book and manuscript collection focused on the black American experience, which went to Howard University -- into what became the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center. Upon his death, eulogies were given by Thurgood Marshall and by Roy Wilkins.

Seller: Sumner & Stillman [ABAA], Yarmouth, ME, U.S.A.

Hardy Thomas. THE TRUMPET-MAJOR. A Tale. London Smith, Elder and Co. 1880, 1880.

Price: US$13750.00 + shipping

Description: 3 volumes. First edition. 8vo, in the publisher's original and Purdy's primary binding of red cloth, the upper cover lettered and paneled to produce two vignettes from drawings by Hardy all in black, the spines lettered and decorated with sword and trumpet in gilt and black and with the two line ruled borders on the rear covers in blind. Housed in a blue cloth-coverd clamshell box with morocco label gilt lettered. [ii], vi, 296; [ii], vi, 276; [ii], vi, 259 pp. A very handsome set, the bindings attractive and fresh, expert and unobtrusive refurbishment at the spine tips, the text-block tight and quite clean and fresh, essentially no spotting whatsoever and only the lightest age mellowing, a very pleasing set indeed. THE FIRST EDITION OF HARDY'S EPIC NOVEL OF THE NAPOLEONIC WAR, A VERY ATTRACTIVE SET IN ORIGINAL CLOTH. Purdy notes the edition was printed in only 1000 copies. The cover illustrations were designed by Hardy and feature two vignettes, one of an encampment on a river which leads down to the second of a mill. Hardy wrote the story to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Trafalgar, it was first printed in an abridged form in "Good Words". It is Hardy's only historical novel.

Seller: Buddenbrooks, Inc., Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.

HARDY, Thomas. Trumpet-Major: A Tale. Smith, Elder & Co, London, 1880.

Price: US$22500.00 + shipping

Description: London: Smith, Elder, & Co. 1880. First edition. Three volumes, octavo (7 1/2 x 5 in., 190 x 127 mm). Publisher's pictorial red cloth, stamped in black on front covers, blind-stamped (triple-ruled border) on back covers. Spines stamped in gilt and black. Spines very slightly sunned. Inner hinged of volume I starting, but firm. Two previous owner's bookplates on front pastedowns of each volume. Overall an about fine, bright copy house in a quarter morocco clamshell. As Purdy explains, the Smith-Elder imprint of Spottiswoode & Co. The fine pictorial binding depicts two vignettes drawn by Hardy on the fronts, a millhouse in the bottom half and an encampment in the top and the spines have a sword crossed by a horn. This set with the triple-rule border in blind, is less common than those featuring a double-rule border. Literature: Purdy, pp. 31-35; Sterling 427; Sadleir 1115 HBS 66272. $22,500.

Seller: Heritage Book Shop, ABAA, Beverly Hills, CA, U.S.A.

HARDY, Thomas.. The Trumpet-Major. A Tale.. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1880, 1880.

Price: US$28862.14 + shipping

Description: First edition in book form, one of 1,000 sets produced, rare in such nice examples of the original cloth illustrated from Hardy's own drawings. Set during the Napoleonic war, the author's sole historical novel was written to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Trafalgar and incorporates comic elements to move away from its darker predecessor, The Return of the Native (1878). The Trumpet-Major was published on 26 October before the conclusion of the slightly bowdlerized serial in Good Words, which ran from January to December 1880. It was a triumphant success with the critics, though inadequate public appetite led to remaindering. Of the edition, 600 sets were issued with two blind rules on the rear covers; 150 in the present three-rule binding were issued not long thereafter; and the final 250 unbound sheets were issued two years later. Purdy, pp. 31-5; Sadleir 1115; Woolf 2995. 3 volumes, octavo. Original red diagonal-fine-ribbed cloth, spines lettered on gilt ground and stamped in gilt and black with design of the standard, sword, and bugle, front covers lettered in black with pictorial design of an encampment and mill from a drawing by the author, rear covers with triple blind rules, cream endpapers, top edge untrimmed, others trimmed. Housed in a custom red cloth slipcase with red silk ribbon. Spines slightly faded, minor wear to tips, faint marks to rear covers, a couple of gatherings unopened; an excellent set in unusually bright cloth.

Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom

HARDY, Thomas.. The Trumpet-Major. A Tale.. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1880, 1880.

Price: US$38482.85 + shipping

Description: First edition in book form, one of 1,000 sets produced, rare in such fresh examples of the original cloth illustrated from Hardy's own drawings. Set during the Napoleonic war, the author's sole historical novel was written to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Trafalgar and incorporates comic elements to move away from its darker predecessor, The Return of the Native (1878). The Trumpet-Major was published on 26 October before the conclusion of the slightly bowdlerized serial in Good Words, which ran from January to December 1880. It was a triumphant success with the critics, though inadequate public appetite led to remaindering. Of the edition, 600 sets were issued with two blind rules on the rear covers; 150 in the present three-rule binding were issued not long thereafter; and the final 250 unbound sheets were issued two years later. This set is from the library of the famous American book collector A. Edward Newton (1864-1940), author of Amenities of Book Collecting (1918) and a driving force in the campaign to establish the American Memorial to Thomas Hardy near the writer's birthplace in Higher Bockhampton. Newton wrote Thomas Hardy, Novelist Or Poet? (1929) to raise funds for the monument and he then published A Thomas Hardy Memorial (1931) to celebrate its construction. Newton's sale took place at Parke-Bernet in 1941; this set has his engraved bookplate, dated 1909, on the front pastedowns. Purdy, pp. 31-5; Sadleir 1115; Woolf 2995. 3 volumes, octavo. Original red diagonal-fine-ribbed cloth, spines lettered on gilt ground and stamped in gilt and black with design of the standard, sword, and bugle, front covers lettered in black with pictorial design of an encampment and mill from a drawing by the author, rear covers with triple blind rules, cream endpapers. Housed in a custom green cloth folding box. Cloth and gilt bright, minor bumps to spine ends, vol. II rear inner hinge cracked but holding, contents fresh. A near-fine set.

Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom