The Life and Death of a Man of Character
The Mayor of Casterbridge The Life and Death of a Man of Character
Smith, Elder, & Co., 1886.
First edition. Two volumes. 8vo. Original blue cloth, spines lettered in gilt, decorative bands and floral decorations on front covers and spines in black, grey floral endpapers. Single advertisement leaf at the end of each volume. A near fine copy, the covers bright with only very light rubbing to the spine ends. A couple of light, superficial repairs to the hinges and some light spotting to the titles and first page of text of each volume, but otherwise fresh internally. One gathering roughly opened, not affecting the text. Neat ownership inscription to each half-title. A superb copy. Housed in a morocco-backed solander box.
Originally serialised in the Graphic between January and May 1886, an edition of 758 copies of The Mayor of Casterbridge was printed on 10th May 1886. Despite interest in the novel, only 650 copies of the first edition were bound. In January 1887, 145 bound and unbound copies were remaindered to Sampson Low. As such, only 613 copies of the first edition were actually issued, making copies such as this, in the original cloth and in fine condition, understandably rare.
Purdy, p.50-4.
Stock ID: 42552
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