Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Price: US$57.97 + shipping
Description: Black and White illustrations by Thackeray. Rebound, sometime, by perhaps a skilled amateur. Leather spine rebacked, retaining original. Inner hinges reinforced. Generally a lovely early edition, with some plates foxed as normal. Oversize; Postage & Packing may cost extra.
Seller: Much Ado Books, Alfriston, SUSSE, United Kingdom
Price: US$109.38 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: Gilt half leather with marbled boards, marbles endpapers, with illustrations on steel and wood by the author, 8vo.; Edges cover and spine worn; book block loose in front; some foxing.
Seller: Klondyke, Almere, Netherlands
Thackeray, William Makepeace.. VANITY FAIR. A Novel Without a Hero.. Bradbury & Evans: London, 1848.
Price: US$230.00 + shipping
Description: Illustr by author, 8.5 x 5.25, 3/4 black leather, marbled boards, aeg, 624pp, covers a bit worn and abraded, extremities bumped and fraying, hinges loose, contents toned with some spotting to plates else a nice, decorative copy of an early edition of this book (no picture on p336, "Mr. Pitt" on p 453, no ads).
Seller: John K King Used & Rare Books, Detroit, MI, U.S.A.
Price: US$235.13 + shipping
Description: London: Bradbury & Evans, 1848. 8vo. Orig. blind-stamped cloth (hinges worn and exposed; spine faded). (xvi, 624pp.). With b/w vignette. title-page, frontispiece and 38 illusts. Previous owners name on front end-paper. 1st edition, later issue.
Seller: Berkelouw Rare Books, Berrima, NSW, Australia
Thackeray, William Makepeace. VANITY FAIR. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$300.00 + shipping
Description: Octavo, xvi, 624 pages. In Good minus condition. Bound in publisher's blue-green cloth with gilt lettering on spine. Moderate shelfwear. Severe chipping to cloth on spine, with webbing and textblock exposed. Bumping and fraying to corners. Age-toning and foxing to textblock. Some pencil writing from previous owner. Blind stamp of previous bookseller on front free endpaper. Features illustrations throughout. Shelved in Case 13. Mixed issue, with page 336 lacking woodcut and lacking advertisement in front. 1371317. Shelved Dupont Bookstore.
Seller: Second Story Books, ABAA, Rockville, MD, U.S.A.
Thackeray, William. Vanity Fair. Bradbury & Evans, 1848.
Price: US$340.00 + shipping
Description: A version of the First Edition of Thackeray's masterpiece, with plates and cuts in the text all drawn by him. 8vo, Tipped in before the engraved title in this copy is an ad for the Great Hoggarty Diamond, "preparing for publication in December". The engraved title is apparently a replacement for the original, since it is clearly waterstained, unlike the adjoining pages which are not; (possibly a "first printing point," such as the use of rustic characters for the words Vanity Fair, may have caused the original title to be sliced out in order to sophisticate a better copy. None of the "points" of the so-called first printing are present. Of the 38 plates, 37 are present. The plate titled "Becky in Lombard Street" that faced p. 433 has been removed leaving only a rusty offset, no doubt to sophisticate another copy. The old 3/4 calf binding is secure, but the front and back hinges are starting; the initial gathering is loose, no doubt from the effort of replacing the engraved title. There is some offsetting from the engraved plates, as usual, and a little age-darkening throughout; in general, the text block is fresh and eminently readable. Overall, condition is Good, but note the defects in the description above.
Seller: Friends of Middletown Thrall Library, Inc., Middletown, NY, U.S.A.
Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A novel without a Hero. Bradbury & Evans, 1848.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Frontispiece, xvi, 624p. Contemporary quarter green morocco over marbled boards with a richly gilt spine. First edition, first issue with the rustic title on page one, the suppressed woodcut of the Marquis of Steyne, and Mr. Pitt for Sir Pitt on page 453. On the Grolier Club's list of "One Hundred Books Famous in English Literature". Corners unfortunately a little bumped and rubbed, otherwise internally a fresh clean copy in a very attractive binding.
Seller: Rosenlund Rare Books & Manuscripts, Basking Ridge, NJ, U.S.A.
Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A Novel Without a Hero. London: Bradbury & Evans, 1848.
Price: US$500.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Illustrated by Thackeray. First edition, mixed issue, with the engraved title page dated 1848, lacking the "Marquis of Steyne" woodcut on page 336, with "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on page 453, advertisement leaf for "The Great Hoggarty Diamond" at front. Original publisher's blind-stamped green cloth, spine lettered in gilt. A very good copy, recased with the original cloth laid down, corners bumped and lightly worn, spine rubbed. Internally, some toning and small tear, a minor repair to the last plate at page 623. A good, sturdy copy. Shepherd 78. Vanity Fair is the first novel Thackeray published under his own name and is widely considered one of his greatest achievements. It is a satirical tale that presents a panoramic view of mid-19th century English society. Notably, Vanity Fair established Thackeray's literary reputation in England and awarded him both fame and fortune. Indeed, as the Encyclopaedia Britannica praises, "the narrative skill, subtle characterization, and descriptive power make it one of the outstanding novels of its period."
Seller: B & B Rare Books, Ltd., ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair. A Novel without a Hero.. Bradbury & Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$508.86 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: An mixed issue copy of the first edition of Thackeray's classic novel, set during the Napoleonic Wars. Illustrated throughout by the author himself. A first edition in book form, mixed issue; without the suppressed woodcut to page 336 of the first issue, but with "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on page 453, as with the first issue.With the engraved title page dated 1849, and the general title page dated 1849. The first issue is dated 1848 to both title pages.Illustrated with a frontispiece, engraved title page, and thirty eight further plates. Collated, complete.Thackeray's novel follows the entangled adventures of two school friends, the gentle and trusting Amelia Sedley and the calculating Becky Sharp, as they come of age during the Napoleonic War. Thackeray displays an interest in deconstructing his era's conventions regarding heroism, with the work sometimes considered the foundation of the Victorian domestic novel.Bound without advertisements.A bright copy of this celebrated Victorian era novel. Rebound in half calf, with marbled paper boards and endpapers renewed. A touch of rubbing to rear joint, otherwise externally fine. Front hinge starting, with board holding firm. Internally, firmly bound. Pages generally clean and bright, with spotting to title page and frontispiece, and further instances of light spotting throughout. Very Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
THACKERAY, WILLIAM MAKEPEACE.. VANITY FAIR.. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$600.00 + shipping
Description: Cover and spine designs in blind-stamp. Finely rebacked with original spine laid-down. Spine gilt title bright. Several small pieces of old spine are missing. Covers rubbed with several spots on rear cover. Yellow endpapers have been repaired at the hinges front and back. Green notice tipped-in at front advertising the new work by Thackeray, "Pendennis". The "Great Hoggarty Diamond" page is present preceding the engraved frontispiece and title-page. The date 1848 is on both title-pages. Some peripheral browning and foxing to plates, off-setting onto adjacent pages. Forty plates including the frontispiece. Numerous text illustrations, and chapter first-letter embellishments, done on steel and wood by the author. This copy is an early issue of the first edition. It does not have the rustic type on p.1 nor the suppressed plate at p.336. "Mr. Pitt" is present at p.453. See Van Duzer 231. 624pp. Size: Thick Octavo
Seller: Glenn Books, ABAA, ILAB, Prairie Village, KS, U.S.A.
William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$766.52 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: The first edition, first issue of William Makepeace Thackeray's classic novel, set during the Napoleonic Wars. The first edition in book form, first issue. With engraved and letterpress title page both dated 1848; with the suppressed woodcut of Marquis of Steyne on page 336, and with "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on page 453.Thackeray's novel follows the entangled adventures of two school friends, the gentle and trusting Amelia Sedley and the calculating Becky Sharp, as they come of age during the Napoleonic War. Thackeray displays an interest in deconstructing his era's conventions regarding heroism, with the work sometimes considered the foundation of the Victorian domestic novel.Illustrated with an engraved title page and frontispiece, and thirty-eight further plates, all the work of the author himself. Collated, complete.Lacking the initial advertisement leaf for "Great Hoggarty Diamond".Frontispiece laid down, with contemporary inscription dated 1849 to recto. Bookplate of D.B. Anderson and former owner's inscription to front free endpaper. Bookseller's label to head of front pastedown.A generally smart copy of a celebrated novel. Rebacked, in a half calf binding with back strip laid down, and boards restored. Significant rubbing to paper at centre of boards. Front joint starting, but holding firm. Rear hinge strained, but firmly held. Bookseller's label to head of front pastedown, bookplate and inscription to front free endpaper. Inscription to leaf adhered to recto of frontispiece. Internally, firmly bound. Plates age toned to perimeters, with significant spotting and foxing. Small tide marks to tail of plates. Pages lightly age toned, with significant handling marks throughout, and the odd spot. Good
Seller: Rooke Books PBFA, Bath, United Kingdom
William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero. Bradbury and Evans, 1848.
Price: US$800.00 + shipping
Condition: Good
Description: First edition, first issue in volume form. Contains every first issue point, with the heading on page 1 in rustic type, the woodcut of the debauched Marquis of Steyne on 336 (suppressed in later issues), and "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on 453, bound without ads. "A novel without a hero," Vanity Fair follows the entangled adventures of two school friends, the gentle, trusting Amelia Sedley and the calculating Becky Sharp, as they come of age during the Napoleonic Wars. "Are not there little chapters in everybody's life, that seem to be nothing, and yet affect all the rest of the history? Let us then step into the coach with the Russell-square party, and be off to the Gardens." Bound in contemporary three-quarter leather over marbled paper covered boards and raised bands on spine. Heavily rubbed and scuffed. Pages toned, foxing, staining browning to plates (as is typical), with occasional offsetting from images onto adjacent pages. The pages pictured are generally the worst. Frontispiece, illustrated title page, 38 full-page plates, and 150 steel and wood-engraved illustrations by the author throughout text.
Seller: Sparrow's Bookshop, IOBA, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Price: US$883.91 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: XVI, 624 S. Erste Ausgabe. - Die Editionslage dieses herausragenden Werkes ist nicht ohne Tücken, d.h. komplex: Es gibt Merkmale, die man einer 'early' first edition zuordnet, andere die man einer 'late' first zuordnet und einer sog. mixed state editon. Die geschätzten Kollegen der Firma Maggs Bros. Ltd. London schreiben zu einem ähnlichen Exemplar: »A mix of states, as usual. There is no evidence of this copy having been issued in parts (i.e. no stab-holes), the drop heading on page [1] is in rustic type (early), the portrait of Lord Steyne on page 336 is lacking (late), page 453 has the reading 'Mr. Pitt' (early), and the street address is given on the imprint (late).« Das Buch ist papierbedingt - wie wohl immer - gebräunt. Hand-schriftliche Widmung von F. v. Hammerstein auf dem Vorsatz. Sprache: Englisch Gewicht in Gramm: 1200
Seller: Antiquariat Michael Solder, Münster, NRW, Germany
Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$1000.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition, mixed issue with 1848 on the engraved title page, the woodcut present on pg. 336, "Mr. Pitt" on pg. 453, and the Great Hoggarty Diamond advertisement preceding the frontispiece. Bayntun Riviere fine binding in full red leather with five raised bands, delicate gilt titling and decoration, all edges gilt, marbled end pages, and hand sewn end bands. The book has a hint of waving to the text block, a short and thin crack starting to the leather at the head of the rear hinge, very minor shelfwear to the spine ends and cover corners with a tiny peel to the leather at the lower corner of the back cover, faint sunning to the spine, and a touch of wear to the edges of some pages, otherwise a solid, tight Very Good+ copy. Additional images are available upon request.
Seller: Fahrenheit's Books, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
THACKERAY, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair: A Novel Without A Hero. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$1375.00 + shipping
Description: Mixed issue, with "Mr. Pitt" on p.453 line 31, but lacking the suppressed woodcut of Marquis of Steyne, the rustic type heading on p.1, and with the engraved title page dated 1848. This copy bound without the four ad leaves. Includes engraved half-title and ad leaf for The Great Hoggarty Diamond. Octavo (23cm); publisher's original green cloth, titled in gilt on spine, and decoratively stamped in blind on panels and spine; [i-vii], viii-xvi, [1]-624pp; illus. Spine ends expertly reinforced with matching cloth underlaid, rubbing to the lower board edges, with some board exposure at the cornertips. Faint, scattered foxing to text, but still quite fresh. Spine gilt is notably bright and legible, with the cloth bright and unrubbed; Very Good+. VAN DUZER 231.
Seller: Lorne Bair Rare Books, ABAA, Winchester, VA, U.S.A.
Price: US$1600.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Beautiful full leather with raised bands and gilt, signed by Morrel, the binder, slightly chipped. Binding is tight. Top edge gilt. Contains 67 plates by the author himself. Sporadic foxing, mostly on some of the plates. Minor tear in the edge of the final plate and rear endpapers. First issue, with the p1 heading in rustic type, the Marquis of Steyne pictured on p336 was removed from later issues because it resembled the late Lord Hertford, and "Mr. Pitt" instead of "Sir Pitt" on p453. Thackeray was a satirist of the highest calibre, and the story compiled here is no exception. Size: 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall
Seller: Contact Editions, ABAC, ILAB, Toronto, ON, Canada
Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$1650.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition, first printing. First issue with the headline on page 1 in rustic type, the woodcut of Mr. Steyne on page 336 which was later suppressed, and "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on page 453; bound without ads. Finely bound in somewhat contemporary three-quarter leather over marbled paper covered boards; with raised bands and elaborate gilt tooling to the spine. Binding and gilt stamping is rubbed. Pages toned. Foxing, staining browning to plates (as is typical), with occasional offsetting from images onto adjacent pages. Illustrated on steel and wood by the author.
Seller: Burnside Rare Books, ABAA, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
THACKERAY, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A Novel without a Hero. , 1848.
Price: US$1650.00 + shipping
Description: THACKERAY, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A Novel without a Hero. Bound by Riviere in full black crushed morocco, double-ruled in gilt, raised spine bands, compartments gilt, elaborate inner gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers, gilt-chamfered edges, T.e.g. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1848. First edition, earliest issue. Van Duzer 231, Wolff 6699. Made up from the original parts, leaf of advertisements for The Great Hoggarty Diamond preceding frontispiece; suppressed woodcut of the "Marquis of Steyne" on p. 336; the heading on p. 1 in rustic; and "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on p. 453. A very good or better copy.
Seller: G.S. MacManus Co., ABAA, Bryn Mawr, PA, U.S.A.
THACKERAY, William Makepeace.. Vanity Fair. A novel without a hero.. Bradbury & Evans. 1848, 1848.
Price: US$1771.36 + shipping
Description: FIRST EDITION, later issue. In 2 vols. Front., additional engr. title (bound as title in vol. II), 38 further plates & illus. by the Author; sl. offsetting to plates. Bound in 2 vols in half tan calf, gilt compartments, black morocco labels; sl. rubbed. Crossed through signature of G.S. Russell on titlepage. v.g. Van Duzer 231; not in Sadleir; Wolff 6699. With 'Mr. Pitt' on page 453 (later corrected to 'Sir Pitt' but without the rustic type on page 1, the woodcut (later suppressed) on page 336 and the advertisements. The most well-balanced of Thackeray's works, and one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century.
Seller: Jarndyce, The 19th Century Booksellers, London, United Kingdom
Price: US$1932.39 + shipping
Description: 8vo, pp.[iii]xvi, 624, with frontispiece, engraved title-page, and 38 other full-page plates; with 150 woodcut vignettes printed in the text, all by Thackeray; plates variably foxed as usual, some spotting and foxing elsewhere; contemporary half calf with marbled sides, spine gilt-ruled in compartments with gilt black morocco lettering-piece; a little rubbed, spine faded; ink ownership stamp (crest of a griffin passant above the initials 'G J B') at head of title.First edition in book form, with the traditional first-state characteristics, including: no street address in the imprint on the verso of the title-page; dedication leaf in small type with last line measuring 2?"; heading on page [1] in shaded rustic type; woodcut of the Marquis of Steyne on page 336 (later omitted, apparently after it was damaged or broken); and the mistake 'Mr.Pitt' for 'Sir Pitt' on page 453. Van Duzer 231; Wolff 6699. Language: English
Seller: Bernard Quaritch Ltd ABA ILAB, London, United Kingdom
THACKERAY, William. Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero. Bradbury & Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$2000.00 + shipping
Condition: Fine
Description: Illustrations on steel and wood by the Author. Thick 8vo. 3full red crushed morocco, raised bands, gilt spine & dentelles, all edges gilt, by Bayntun Riviere. London: Bradbury & Evans. 1848. First Edition. Fine. With the first issue readings on pp 336 & 453, and rustic lettering on p.1. Preserved in a cloth slip-case.
Seller: Argosy Book Store, ABAA, ILAB, New York, NY, U.S.A.
THACKERAY, WILLIAM MAKEPEACE. VANITY FAIR: A NOVEL WITHOUT A HERO. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$2028.00 + shipping
Description: 216 x 139 mm. (8 1/2 x 5 1/2"). xvi, 624 pp. With ad for the forthcoming "Great Hogarty Diamond" at front. Pleasing polished calf, gilt, by Root & Son (stamp-signed on verso of front free endpaper), covers with French fillet border, raised bands, spine compartments with central fleuron, one red and one green morocco label, turn-ins with cresting rolls and plain rules, blue endpapers, all edges gilt. 40 steel-engraved plates (including engraved title), all with tissue guards, 150 woodcuts, and initials by Thackeray. Van Duzer 231; Grolier "One Hundred" 87. See Day, "History of English Literature 1837 to the Present," pp. 183-84. âVague dampstain to tail edge of rear board, spine less lustrous than the covers, trivial wear to extremities, occasional minor foxing and faint offsetting from illustrations, other insignificant defects, but an excellent copy--clean and fresh internally, in a pleasing binding with nothing approaching a significant imperfection. One of the most celebrated novels of the 19th century, this work, in Day's words, "was a conscious innovation which discarded the conventional intrigue plot of contemporary novels" in its preoccupation with social criticism. "No previous English novel, not even from Thackeray's master, Fielding, so minutely depicts and anatomizes a whole class of society--the new leisured gentry, a parasitic class made possible by England's tremendous wealth." For Thackeray (1811-63), "this is his most ferocious attack upon a hypocritical society, while later novels demonstrate his progressive accommodation to his milieu." (Day) Our copy appears to have all of the requisite features of the earliest state of the text of the first edition: the woodcut of the "Marquis of Steyne" (later suppressed) appears on page 336, the heading on page 1 of the text is in rustic letters (as if they were pieces of hewn wood), and "Mr. Pitt" (later "Sir Pitt") appears on page 453. "Vanity Fair" is nothing like a rare book; our copy is meant to stand out because of its agreeable combination of condition and price. FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM, the Earliest Issue.
Seller: Phillip J. Pirages Rare Books (ABAA), McMinnville, OR, U.S.A.
Price: US$2383.29 + shipping
Description: First edition, first issue with the suppressed woodcut of Marquis of Steyne on page 336 and "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on page 453, initial advertisement leaf for "Great Hoggarty Diamond" present. Octavo. pp xvi, 624. Etched frontispiece, additional vignette title-page, and 38 plates, wood-engraved vignettes. Fine 19th century binding by Ramage of full dark green morocco, spine gilt in compartments, inner gilt dentelles, cream watered silk doublures and endpapers, top edge gilt, original cloth bound in at rear. Leather book-label of Estelle Doheny on front pastedown.Front joint rubbed. Some foxing in places. Plates browned at the edges. Very good indeed.
Seller: Peter Ellis, Bookseller, ABA, ILAB, London, United Kingdom
Price: US$2400.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: First edition, first issue, with all three first issue points present: the heading on p. 1 in rustic type; the woodcut of the Marquis of Steyne on p. 336 (suppressed in later issues); and "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on p. 453. Octavo. pp. [iii-vii] viii-xiv, [1] 2-624. With 40 engraved plates, including the frontispiece and engraved title (with a tissue guard in between), and in-text wood engravings. This copy lacks the advertisement for The Great Hoggarty Diamond (pp. [i-ii]) preceding the frontispiece. Bound by Root & Son in three-quarter morocco and light blue cloth over boards, gilt spine with raised bands, plain endpapers, all edges gilt. The front board has been professionally restored along the joint, together with partial restoration at the top part of the back joint, else near fine with light scattered foxing, and a few small wisps of paper on the front pastedown (from the neat removal of a bookplate). A handsome copy.
Seller: Between the Covers-Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Gloucester City, NJ, U.S.A.
Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. Bradbury & Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$2500.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: An attractive, finely bound copy of the author's defining work. First issue with the heading on p. 1 in rustic type, the advertisement for "The Great Hogarty Diamond" before the frontis and the illustration of "the marquis of Steyne" on p. 336 (later suppressed). Illustrated by the author in 40 steel engraved plates and numerous woodcuts throughout the text. Bound in 20th century full tan calf with red and green morocco spine labels. Spine compartments and turn-ins intricated stamped in gilt, marbled end papers, text block all edges gilt. Internal contents generally in excellent condition, but some foxing throughout, especially in the early and late leaves and near the plates. A handsome copy overall. Considered by its author to be a novel without a hero, Vanity Fair follows the path of the social climbing Becky Sharp as she seeks to improve her position within the Victorian social strata. One of literature's most important early iterations of the female anti-hero, Miss Sharp helped to expose the truth that women were not merely domesticated angels but could be just as ambitious and driven as their male counterparts; and her foil Amelia reveals that even an apparent paragon of femininity was imperfect. A contemporary reviewer noted "Thakeray's theory of characterization proceeds generally on the assumtion that the acts of men and women are directed not by principle but by instincts.There is not a person in the book who excites the reader's respect, and not one who fails to exite his interest. The morbid quickness of the author's perceptions of the selfish element, even in his few amiable characters, is a constant source of surprise. The novel not only has no hero, but implies the non-existence of heroism" (Contemporary Atlantic Monthly review). A literary tour de force, transformed into a popular film starring Reese Witherspoon. Near Fine.
Seller: Whitmore Rare Books, Inc. -- ABAA, ILAB, Pasadena, CA, U.S.A.
William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$2500.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Rebound: spine elaborately gilt in compartments, brown morocco labels, woven pattern blocked in blind to boards, marbled endpapers, double-line rules to boards, floral turn-ins, and top edge gilt, others untrimmed. Frontispiece and illustrated title page, 38 plates, illustrations throughout. This copy has all the first issue points traditionally associated with the first edition: the drop-head title in rustic lettering to p.1; the "Marquis of Steyne" woodcut on p. 336 (later suppressed) and "Mr Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on p. 453. An excellent copy. Bound in dark green leather with single gilt fillet (23 1/2k gold leaf) border on covers. Raised spine bands. Gilt ornaments, fillets and title on spine. Gilt decorative roll on turn-in. All edges gilt. Signed binding. Tooled in gilt: Bayntun. Binder. Bath. Eng.
Seller: Sam Barcelo, Cambridge, MA, U.S.A.
Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A Novel Without a Hero. Bradbury & Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$2800.00 + shipping
Description: First edition of Thackeray's comic masterpiece, illustrated by the author. "A novel without a hero," Vanity Fair follows the entangled adventures of two school friends, the gentle, trusting Amelia Sedley and the calculating Becky Sharp, as they come of age during the Napoleonic Wars. "Are not there little chapters in everybody's life, that seem to be nothing, and yet affect all the rest of the history? Let us then step into the coach with the Russell-square party, and be off to the Gardens." First issue, with the heading on page 1 in rustic type, the woodcut of the debauched Marquis of Steyne on 336 (suppressed in later issues, as based too obviously on the late Lord Hertford), and "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on 453. A fine copy, splendidly bound by Riviere & Son. Octavo, measuring 8 x 5 inches: xvi, 624. Early twentieth-century polished calf, boards triple-ruled in gilt, raised bands, spine compartments ruled and decorated in gilt, red and green morocco spine labels, gilt dentelles, marbled endpapers, all edges gilt. Frontispiece, illustrated title page, 38 full-page plates, and 150 wood-engraved illustrations throughout text. A few faint scratches to rear board.
Seller: Honey & Wax Booksellers, ABAA, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$3220.66 + shipping
Description: First edition in book form, elegantly bound. "Modern editions of this classic novel almost invariably omit Thackeray's vignettes and often give only a selection from his etchings. The reader is deprived thereby not only of much amusement but also of important clues to the meaning of the story" (Ray, p. 75). The novel, first published in serial form from 1847 to 1848 and afterwards in book form, proved a popular success, and the sheets were reprinted multiple times, with numerous textual variations between printings, and with the early parts already being reprinted in stereotype before serialization was complete, resulting in 210 variant readings by Shillingsburg's count. Variants both before and after stereotyping were not introduced in an orderly sequence, with the result that individual copies inevitably contain some corrected and some uncorrected sheets. This copy has the traditional points of first impression: first state title page, rustic type at head of page 1, and the Marquess of Steyne woodcut on page 336. The point often given, "Mr. Pitt" at 453.31, is not indicative, as that reading is common to the entire first edition; the change to "Sir Pitt" was not made until the second edition of 1853. Randall, "Towards a Correct Collation of the First Edition of 'Vanity Fair'", The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, vol. 42, no. 2, 1948; Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914, 122; Shillingsburg, "The Printing, Proof-reading, and Publishing of Thackeray's Vanity Fair: The First Edition", Studies in Bibliography, vol. 34, 1981; Wolff 6699. Octavo (213 x 137 mm). Later brown calf by Sangorski & Sutcliffe (signed "Bound for R.D. Steedman by Sangorski & Sutcliffe"), spine gilt in compartments, red and green morocco labels, covers with gilt borders and floral cornerpieces, marbled endpapers, gilt turn-ins, and all edges gilt. Frontispiece and 38 plates, illustrations throughout the text by the author. Some minor marks to binding, spine very slightly faded, a little foxing to contents, particularly plates; a near-fine and attractive copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$3220.66 + shipping
Description: First edition in book form, attractively bound. Later editions of "this classic novel almost invariably omit Thackeray's vignettes and often give only a selection from his etchings. The reader is deprived thereby not only of much amusement but also of important clues to the meaning of the story" (Ray, p. 75). The novel, first published in serial form from 1847 to 1848 and afterwards in book form, proved a popular success. The sheets were reprinted multiple times, with numerous textual variations between printings, and with the early parts already being reprinted in stereotype before serialization was complete, resulting in 210 variant readings by Shillingsburg's count. Variants both before and after stereotyping were not introduced in an orderly sequence, with the result that individual copies inevitably contain some corrected and some uncorrected sheets. This copy has the traditional points of first impression: first state title page, rustic type at head of page 1, and the Marquess of Steyne woodcut on page 336. The point often given, "Mr. Pitt" at 453.31, is not indicative, as that reading is common to the entire first edition; the change to "Sir Pitt" was not made until the second edition of 1853. Gordon N. Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914, 122; Wolff 6699. David A. Randall, "Towards a Correct Collation of the First Edition of 'Vanity Fair'", Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, vol. 42, no. 2, 1948; Peter L. Shillingsburg, "The Printing, Proof-reading, and Publishing of Thackeray's Vanity Fair: The First Edition", Studies in Bibliography, vol. 34, 1981. Octavo (213 x 133 mm). Mid 20th-century red morocco by Sangorski & Sutcliffe, spine with raised bands, gilt lettering in compartments, turn-ins ruled in gilt, grey endpapers, edges gilt. Etched frontispiece, vignette title page, and 38 plates, wood-engraved vignettes and initials in the text, all after Thackeray. Bound with front advert leaf. Contemporary ownership stamp with monogram "J.A.N." on printed title page. Binding bright, discreet paper repair to short closed tear in margin of title page, contents washed, occasional faint foxing or small mark. An excellent copy, presenting handsomely in the binding.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A Novel Without a Hero. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$3500.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, mixed issue: with the title on p. 1 in rustic type, "Mr. Mott" for "Sir Pitt" on p. 453, but lacking the suppressed woodcut on p. 336. With engraved frontispiece, engraved title-page, 38 engraved plates, and numerous engravings on steel and textual wood illustrations by the author. xvi, 624, [1] pp. 8vo. Finely Bound, with an Autograph Letter, Signed. The letter, on a folded 8vo sheet, is undated, and likely written to Percival Leigh, the humorist who wrote for Punch, and who was an intimate of Thackeray. The full text reads: Clarendon, Sunday Dear Mr. Leigh I hope the clerk at the bar told you that I was prevented from coming home by illness last night. Will you call here the first morning you are free? About 9 will to the best time & I'll see you well or ill. Fathfully yours WM Thackeray. Van Duzer 230; Grolier English 87 Full red crushed red levant with gilt borders, spine and turn-ins gilt, marbled endpapers, a.e.g., by Bayntun Riviere. Autograph Letter, signed, inserted at front. Fine With engraved frontispiece, engraved title-page, 38 engraved plates, and numerous engravings on steel and textual wood illustrations by the author. xvi, 624, [1] pp. 8vo First edition, mixed issue: with the title on p. 1 in rustic type, "Mr. Mott" for "Sir Pitt" on p. 453, but lacking the suppressed woodcut on p. 336.
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$3542.72 + shipping
Description: First edition in book form, in a splendid Cosway-style binding with an oval miniature portrait of Thackeray set into the front doublure, after Samuel Lawrence. Cosway bindings, in which beautiful miniature paintings are inset into fine leather bindings, originated in the first decade of the 20th century at the instigation of J. H. Stonehouse, managing director of Sotheran's. The style was soon imitated by Bayntun-Rivière, Sangorski & Sutcliffe, and other English craft binders, and examples have long been sought after by collectors. The novel, published in serial form from 1847 to 1848 and afterwards in book form, proved a genuine popular success, and the sheets were reprinted multiple times. This copy has the first state title page, the other traditional points generally indicating corrected printings. "Modern editions of this classic novel almost invariably omit Thackeray's vignettes and often give only a selection from his etchings. The reader is deprived thereby not only of much amusement but also of important clues to the meaning of the story" (Ray, p. 75). Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914, 122; Wolff 6699. Octavo (218 x 132 mm). Mid 20th-century green morocco for Charles J. Sawyer, spine with raised bands, floral gilt decoration with red morocco Lancashire rose onlays in compartments and to covers, board edges ruled in gilt, red morocco doublures with elaborate gilt borders and light blue morocco onlays, front doublure in Cosway-style with central oval miniature portrait of Thackeray, under glass and framed in brass, watered silk endpapers, edges gilt. Housed in a custom green cloth solander box. Etched frontispiece, vignette title page, and 38 plates, wood-engraved vignettes and initials in the text, all after Thackeray. With Charles J. Sawyer's advertisement loosely inserted. A near-fine copy, elaborately bound, faint foxing and occasional offsetting to contents, otherwise clean.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$3864.79 + shipping
Description: First edition in book form, elegantly bound. Later editions of "this classic novel almost invariably omit Thackeray's vignettes and often give only a selection from his etchings. The reader is deprived thereby not only of much amusement but also of important clues to the meaning of the story" (Ray, p. 75). The novel, first published in serial form from 1847 to 1848 and afterwards in book form, proved a popular success. The sheets were reprinted multiple times, with numerous textual variations between printings, and with the early parts already being reprinted in stereotype before serialization was complete, resulting in 210 variant readings by Shillingsburg's count. Variants both before and after stereotyping were not introduced in an orderly sequence, with the result that individual copies inevitably contain some corrected and some uncorrected sheets. This copy has the traditional points of first impression: first state title page, rustic type at head of page 1, and the Marquess of Steyne woodcut on page 336. The point often given, "Mr. Pitt" at 453.31, is not indicative, as that reading is common to the entire first edition; the change to "Sir Pitt" was not made until the second edition of 1853. Gordon N. Ray, The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914, 122; Wolff 6699. David A. Randall, "Towards a Correct Collation of the First Edition of 'Vanity Fair'", The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, vol. 42, no. 2, 1948; Peter L. Shillingsburg, "The Printing, Proof-reading, and Publishing of Thackeray's Vanity Fair: The First Edition", Studies in Bibliography, vol. 34, 1981. Octavo (209 x 127 mm). Early 20th-century blue crushed morocco by Root, spine lettered in gilt, compartments richly floral-tooled in gilt with central red petal onlay, gilt French fillet on covers enclosing floral cornerpieces connected via beaded gilt rules, doublures decorated in similar fashion to covers, blue silk moiré endpapers, edges of contents and boards gilt, red silk bookmarker. Housed in a custom blue cloth slipcase. Etched frontispiece, vignette title page, and 38 plates, wood-engraved vignettes and initials in the text, all after Thackeray. Bound with front advert leaf. Occasional light foxing, still a fine copy.
Seller: Peter Harrington. ABA/ ILAB., London, United Kingdom
Price: US$5500.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: 8vo; 8 3/8 x 5 1/8 in. (212 x 130 mm); pp. ix + 625 + 38 steel-engraved plates, engraved frontispiece, engraved vignette title page, and 150 woodcuts and illustrated capitals in the text by Thackeray. COSWAY-STYLE BINDING by BAYNTUM of Bath (stamp-signed on front turn-in) with HAND-PAINTED PORTRAIT MINIATURE of THACKERAY on IVORY inset in the front cover. Contemporary full green-blue crushed levant over beveled boards, elaborately tooled and gilt, raised bands, spine compartments with scrolling tooling, turn-ins with gilt fillets and corner lilies, moiré-silk doublures, a.e.g., hinges repaired, binding a little worn and edges scuffed, as expected in a well-loved book. [Grolier English 100, 57; Allibone, Thackeray 7; Van Duzer 231]. This is the FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE of the best-known work by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863), with the headline on page one in rustic type, the suppressed woodcut of the Marquis of Steyne on page 336, and with "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on page 453. The work was initially issued in 20 parts between January 1847 and July 1848 as a popular serial with distinctive canary-yellow covers, and it was printed as a bound volume by Bradbury & Evans in 1848, incorporating the author's own illustrations, and bearing his name on the title page for the first time. The novel gained him immediate critical acclaim: «Immeasurably superior, in our opinion, to every other known production of his pen.» - Edinburgh Review, Jan.1848 «One of the most amusing, but also one of the most distressing, books we have read for many a long year. We almost long for a little exaggeration and improbability to relieve us of that sense of dread truthfulness which weighs down our hearts, not for the Amelias and Georges of the story, but for poor kindred human nature.» - London Quarterly Review, Dec. 1848 «Mr. Thackeray's pathos has an effect that is really refreshing. It reminds one of the exquisite touches which occur in Fielding's Amelia.» - London Times, 1848 Vanity Fair was Thackeray's first major work and established his continued high standing among Victorian novelists. It follows the rise and fall of the opportunistic Becky Sharp and is a quintessential satire of life in early 19th Century Britain, giving a panoramic tour of English social strata. It has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations, including one where Becky Sharp was played by Reese Witherspoon (2004).
Seller: Rob Zanger Rare Books LLC, Middletown, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$5800.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, first issue of Thackeray's masterpiece. Octavo, bound in full red morocco by Bayntun Riviere in Cosway-style binding with a miniature portrait of Thackeray inset into the front panel, engraved frontispiece, engraved additional title, and 38 engraved plates, spine in gilt compartments, gilt inner dentelles, all edges gilt, ivory silk doublures. The first issue, with the headline on page one in rustic type; "Mr. Pitt" on page 453; and the suppressed woodcut of Mr. Steyne on page 336. Van Duzer 231. In fine condition. An exceptional example. Vanity Fair was Thackeray's first major work and established his continued high standing among Victorian novelists. "After that book [Vanity Fair] there could be no doubt about the greatness of its writer. at last the novel of real life on the great scale has been discovered" (Saintsbury, in Groiler, English Prose Fiction, 102). "As Thackeray's masterpiece this novel has outlasted the great majority of his work. The Waterloo scenes been bettered, and the author's famed irony still stings" (Farrow, 50). It has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations, most recently into the 2004 film directed by Mira Nair, starring Reese Witherspoon, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Bob Haskins.
Seller: Raptis Rare Books, Palm Beach, FL, U.S.A.
Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A Novel without a Hero. Bradbury and Evans, London, 1848.
Price: US$6000.00 + shipping
Description: First edition. With engraved frontispiece, engraved title-page, 38 engraved plates, and numerous engravings on steel and textual wood illustrations by the author. xvi, 624 pp. 1 vols. 8vo. With a fine Miniature Portrait. Van Duzer 230; Grolier English 87 Bound in full red morocco, with oval Cosway-style portrait on the upper cover, a.e.g., by Aspreys. Skilfully rebacked preserving spine. Fine With engraved frontispiece, engraved title-page, 38 engraved plates, and numerous engravings on steel and textual wood illustrations by the author. xvi, 624 pp. 1 vols. 8vo
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Price: US$7085.45 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First Edition, First Issue. Octavo, etched frontispiece, vignette title page, rustic type at head of page 1, 38 plates, wood-engraved vignettes and initials in the text, all after Thackeray, the Marquess of Steyne woodcut on page 336. Published by Bradbury & Evans (London), 1848. Finely bound in a later Cosway-style blue full morocco by Bayntun Riviere in Bath with their binders signature to the front turn-in, the upper cover with inset hand-coloured oval portrait of Thackeray under glass, triple rule gilt border to covers, incorporating copious gilt foliate devices, spine separated into compartments by five raised bands finished in gilt, four containing gilt foliation, all edges gilt, turn-ins with gilt fillets and decorative gilt corner-pieces, marbled endpapers, red morocco gilt bookplate of W. A. Foyle, Beeleigh Abbey to front pastedown, two blue silk bookmarkers. The binding is in fine condition. Internally, there is toning to some of the plates and occasional light spotting; near fine. Vanity Fair was Thackerays first major work and established his status as one of the great Victorian novelists. The story has been adapted for film and television on numerous occasions. This copy has a unique and notable provenance having been owned by William Foyle (1883-1963), who co-founded the famous Foyles bookshop with his brother Gilbert, on Charing Cross Road in London. In 1943 William Foyle acquired the former medieval monastery of Beeleigh Abbey near Maldon in Essex, and put together one of the worlds greatest private book collections, which he kept in the former monastic dormitory. Following William Foyles passing in 1963, the abbey and book collection were inherited by his daughter Christina. Christina left her estate to the Foyle Foundation, and after she passed away in 1999, the book collection was sold by Christies in July 2000, where it achieved a world record sales total. Unbeknown to the public, in a private agreement with Christies prior to the sale, many books from the collection were acquired by Williams grandson Christopher, the nephew of Christina. Christopher also bought back the abbey and Foyles bookshop from the Foyle Foundation charity trustees at market value. Christopher worked tirelessly to rejuvante the Foyles bookshop and sold the business to Waterstones in 2018. Christopher and his wife Catherine additionally undertook significant restoration of Beeleigh Abbey, and added greatly to the book collection. Christopher received an OBE for services to publishing, aviation and charity, and served as Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Essex. Christopher passed away in August 2022 at the age of 79. Leo McKinstry, the British journalist, historian, and author, commented on his close friend Christopher after his passing: He was a distinguished entrepreneur and philanthropist, with an eclectic range of interests that reflected his lively, inquiring mind. His instinct for hard work was accompanied by gregarious, humorous, generous nature and an openness to maverick ideas. The manner of his passing mirrored his character, positive to the last. Having contracted a rare form of cancer, he fought heroically for years against the illness, never complaining, never far from laughter. (Maldon Standard.) Please contact us for shipping costs if ordering from outside the UK.
Seller: GEORGE HANCOCK RARE BOOKS PBFA, BATH, United Kingdom
Price: US$9500.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition of Vanity Fair In a Fine Sangorski & Sutcliffe Cosway-Style Binding [COSWAY-STYLE BINDING]. [SANGORSKI & SUTCLIFFE]. THACKERAY, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. A Novel Without A Hero. With Illustrations On Steel and Wood By the Author. London: Bradbury and Evans, 1848. First edition, first issue, with the suppressed woodcut of the Marquis of Steyne on page 336, with "Mr. Pitt" for "Sir Pitt" on page 453, and the rustic heading on page one. Expert paper repair to pages [xv] and xvi. Plates generally a little toned, still a near fine and very desirable copy of this classic. Octavo (8 5/16 x 5 1/8 inches; 210 x 130 mm.). xvi, 624 pp. Thirty-eight black and white steel engraved plates with tissue guards and one hundred and fifty woodcuts in the text by Thackeray. Extra-illustrated by Joseph Clayton Clarke with twelve original pen and ink drawings including a pen & ink and pastel frontispiece, with tissue guard. Bound c. 1920 by [Sangorski & Sutcliffe] stamped signed "Bound for Harry F. Marks. London"on lower turn-in. Full crimson crushed levant morocco over beveled boards, covers elaborately bordered in gilt, decorative gilt corner-pieces, each with a gilt triple flower design inlaid with green morocco petals. Spine with five raised bands, elaborately tooled in a similar floral design with four large flowers with tan morocco inlays, lettered in gilt in compartments. Inside front cover with large rectangular dark blue morocco inlaid panel, decorative gilt corner-pieces surroundin an oval gilt frame with a very fine hand-painted portrait miniature set under glass of the young Thackeray - possibly by Miss C.B. Currie. Double gilt-ruled board edges, highly decorative gilt turn-ins, blue watered silk endleaves, all edges gilt. Minimal rubbing to joints otherwise near fine. Housed in a felt-lined red cloth clamshell case, spine with leather label, lettered in gilt. Harry F. Marks, was a renowned early twentieth century New York City bookman and the Black Sun Press' distributor in America. Marks had many books specially bound for his clientele by Sangorski & Sutcliffe. Vanity Fair is an English novel by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863), which follows the lives of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley amid their friends and families during and after the Napoleonic Wars. It was first published as a 19-part monthly serial from 1847 to 1848, carrying the subtitle Pen and Pencil Sketches of English Society, reflecting both its satirization of early 19th-century British society and the many illustrations drawn by Thackeray to accompany the text. It was published as a single volume in 1848 with the subtitle A Novel without a Hero, reflecting Thackeray's interest in deconstructing his era's conventions regarding literary heroism. It is sometimes considered the "principal founder" of the Victorian domestic novel. The story is framed as a puppet play, and the narrator, despite being an authorial voice, is somewhat unreliable. The book's title comes from John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, a Dissenter allegory first published in 1678. In that work, "Vanity Fair" refers to a stop along the pilgrim's route: a never-ending fair held in a town called Vanity, which is meant to represent man's sinful attachment to worldly things. Thackeray does not mention Bunyan in the novel or in his surviving letters about it, where he describes himself dealing with "living without God in the world", but he did expect the reference to be understood by his audience, as shown in an 1851 Times article likely written by Thackeray himself. The serial parts were a popular and critical success; the novel is now considered a classic and has inspired several audio, film, and television adaptations. Grolier, 100 English, 87. Van Duzer 231. Wolff 6699.
Seller: David Brass Rare Books, Inc., Calabasas, CA, U.S.A.