Available Copies from Independent Booksellers
Thomas Hardy. Wessex Tales. Macmillan, London, 1888.
Price: US$6.37 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: Please Email for further details. Size: MASS MARKET PAPERBACK
Seller: J J Basset Books, bassettbooks, bookfarm.co.uk, Peter Tavy, United Kingdom
HARDY, THOMAS. Wessex tales, strange, lively, and commonplace. Macmillan, London, 1888.
Price: US$375.00 + shipping
Description: First colonial edition, issued as no. 74 in the publisher's "Colonial Library" series; 8vo, pp. [6], 276, 4 (ads); original green cloth, gilt-lettered spine; binding slightly askew, some cracking of the cloth at the spine ends. hinges slightly cracked, else very good and sound. Macmillan originally published these five tales in 2 volumes in May 1888 (in an edition of 750 copies). Purdy mentions that Macmillan next produced a one-volume edition (1500 copies) in February 1889, but he does not mention this colonial edition. Purdy, pp. 58-60.
Seller: Rulon-Miller Books (ABAA / ILAB), St. Paul, MN, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. WESSEX TALES. Strange, Lively, and Commonplace, Two Volumes. Macmillan, London, 1888.
Price: US$1100.00 + shipping
Condition: Very Good
Description: Octavo. 750 printed, 634 bound. Bound in original green cloth with gilt lettering spine. Ghost of lending library label front boards. Minimal cover edge wear. Outer hinges worn. 247 pp, 212 pp. 4pp ads at rear of Volume II.
Seller: Charles Parkhurst Rare Books, Inc. ABAA, Surprise, AZ, U.S.A.
Price: US$1210.34 + shipping
Description: 8vo. 1888. 2 vols.1st ed. of 750 copies (of which only 634 copies were bound up). Published May 4th, 1888. (Both vols being marked thus on front paste-down). 4pp ads in vol 2. Slightly age toned and occasional spotting in original green cloth gilt, with damp speckling on boards. Spines slightly rolled and corners slightly bumped, otherwise clean and bright, PURDY p58 calls for top edge to be uncut and fore-edge and tail to be trimmed, the latter not being the case in this copy. Good/very good. Images available on request.
Seller: Bath House Books, Ditchingham, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas. Wessex Tales: Strange, Lively, and Commonplace. Macmillan & Co., London, 1888.
Price: US$1250.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: First edition in two volumes, near fine in 3/4 black leather binding over dark blue cloth boards. Dark blue endpapers, all page edges gilt. The spine of the books have 5 raised bands and thus six compartments, four of which incorporate a design of the author's monogram in gilt inside a decorated gilt square. The other two compartments list title, and author with the volume number below the author's name. At the very bottom of the spines is "London/1888" in gilt. Other than a little minor rubbing, the only other flaw is a small piece of the headband in volume II missing. One of only 634 copies which were originally bound for sale.
Seller: Tulsa Books, Tulsa, OK, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. Wessex Tales: Strange, Lively and Commonplace. Macmillan, London, 1888.
Price: US$1500.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, limited to 684 copies. [vi], 247; [vi], 212 pp. 2 vols. 8vo. First edition of Hardy's first collection of short stories. Purdy p 58-60; Sadleir 1119; Wolff 2999 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; vol. I is about fine. Vol. II has moderate dampstaining on upper endpapers at hinge through half title, and on upper front board. Overall very good [vi], 247; [vi], 212 pp. 2 vols. 8vo
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
HARDY, Thomas.. Wessex Tales.. , 1888.
Price: US$1528.85 + shipping
Description: London: Macmillan & Co., 1888. Two volumes. 8vo, three quarter calf over green cloth; spine ribbed, with lettering and ornamentation in gilt; boards with gilt ruling; top edge gilt, others untrimmed; marbled endpapers; pp. [vi], 247; [vi], 212, [4] (publisher's catalogue); with the orignal publisher's cloth bound in at the back of each volume; light rubbing to extremities; light fading to hinges of spine; slight damage to the calf on spines, which obstructs Vol II gilt lettering on the second volume; previous owner's bookplates to paste-downs, Provenance: that of Oliver Brett, Viscount Esher; very good copies, retaining the original binding. First edition. 750 copies were printed though only 634 copies were bound up. The unbound sheets were later remaindered.
Seller: Henry Sotheran Ltd, London, United Kingdom
Hardy, Thomas. Wessex Tales: Strange, Lively and Commonplace. Macmillan, London, 1888.
Price: US$2250.00 + shipping
Description: First edition, limited to 684 copies. 247 pp.; 212 pp and 4 pp. of ads. 2 vols. 8vo. Purdy p.58; Sadleir 1119 Original green publisher's binding. Slightly cocked with unobtrusive remnant of lending library label on cover of Vol. I 247 pp.; 212 pp and 4 pp. of ads. 2 vols. 8vo
Seller: James Cummins Bookseller, ABAA, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. Wessex Tales. Macmillan and Co, London, 1888.
Price: US$2500.00 + shipping
Description:
Seller: CollectorsFolio, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Hardy, Thomas. Wessex Tales. London: Macmillan and Co., 1888, 1888.
Price: US$2800.00 + shipping
Condition: Near Fine
Description: FIRST EDITION, 1/634 COPIES, IN THE PUBLISHER'S CLOTH BINDING. Two volumes. Octavo, original green cloth with gilt spine titles. Edges uncut. Light wear to cloth at oints and extremities, corners slightly bumped, spine somewhat cocked. Elegant bookplate at front pastedowns. Cloth clean and bright, text clean. An excellent copy housed in custom slipcase and chemise.
Seller: CollectorsFolio, New York, NY, U.S.A.
Hardy Thomas. WESSEX TALES. Strange, Lively, and Commonplace.. London Macmillan and Co. 1888, 1888.
Price: US$3245.00 + shipping
Description: 2 volumes. First edition. A publisher's presentation copy with their purple "Compliments" stamp to Vol. I. 8vo, in the scarce original dark blue/green cloth, the boards with ruled lines in light green, the spines also ruled in light green and with letting in gilt. Now housed in a fine custom clamshell box. 247; 212 pp. A fine set, and scarce in the publisher's cloth, this a very rare "Publishers' Compliments" copy. The text clean and fresh, the binding bright with only a tiny bit of age or wear. A SCARCE HARDY TITLE IN ORIGINAL CLOTH, THERE WERE ONLY 750 COPIES PRINTED AND OF THOSE ONLY 634 WERE BOUND, the rest of the sheets were remaindered. This copy is not only very unusual for its exceptional and bright condition but also for being a publisher's presentation copy. The work consists of five stories (The Three Strangers, The Withered Arm, Fellow-Townsmen, Interlopers at the Knap, and The Distracted Preacher)previously published only in serials. In the various short stories, Hardy writes of the true nature of nineteenth-century marriage and its inherent restrictions, the use of grammar as a diluted form of thought, the disparities created by the role of class status in determining societal rank, the stance of women in society and the severity of even minor diseases causing the rapid onset of fatal symptoms prior to the introduction of sufficient medicinal practices. A focal point of all the short stories is that of social constraints acting to diminish one's contentment in life, necessitating unwanted marriages, repression of true emotion and succumbing to melancholia due to constriction within the confines of 19th-century perceived normalcy.
Seller: Buddenbrooks, Inc., Newburyport, MA, U.S.A.
HARDY, THOMAS.. Wessex Tales. London: Macmillan & Co, 1888, 1888.
Price: US$5000.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition; two volumes in publisher's cloth. Spines cocked; bookplates; a few pages roughly opened; a very good, above average set. 750 copies were printed, but only 634 were actually bound. Listed in Queen's Detective Short Story Bibliography as 'a mixed collection.' 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.. Wessex Tales. London: Macmillan & Co, 1888, 1888.
Price: US$5000.00 + shipping
Description: First Edition; two volumes in publisher's cloth. Spines cocked; 1892 ownership inscriptions in each volume; minor cloth spotting; a very good, above average set; in a custom cloth clamshell box. 750 copies were printed, of which only 634 were bound. Listed in Queen's Detective Short Story Bibliography as 'a mixed collection.' All books described as first editions are first printings unless otherwise noted.
Seller: Peter L. Stern & Co., Inc, Newton, MA, U.S.A.