The Virginians: A Tale of the Last Century.
with illustrations on steel and wood by the author
London: Bradbury & Evans, 1858. First edition. Half leather. This is the two-volume first edition, finely bound. The contemporary half leather fine bindings by “C. Cooper & Co. Limited” of Birmingham feature dark tan spines and corners separated by double-gilt-ruled transitions from the pebble-grained, dark brown sides. The elaborate spines feature gilt-hatched raised bands, the title/author and volume number gilt-printed in two compartments, the other four compartments extensively gilt-tooled. The contents are bound with head silk head and tail bands, gilt top edges, and marbled endpapers.
Condition is very good overall. The fine bindings are square, clean, tight, sharp-cornered, and unfaded, with only superficial scuffing mostly confined to the bottom edges and corners. The first printing contents feature the first word on line 15 from the bottom of page 207 misprinted “actresses” and chapters 47 and 48 misnumbered. All plates appear present. Spotting appears substantially confined to the first and final leaves and the Volume I fore edges. We note occasional transfer of the illustrations to opposing pages, modest age-toning, and some browning or spotting to a few plates. The advertisement leaf of “WORKS BY MR. THACKERAY” is bound in at the rear of Volume I. A tiny, printed binder’s ticket is affixed to the upper Volume I rear pastedown and the lower Volume II front pastedown. The sole previous ownership mark is the illustrated bookplate of “Laurence Percival Hadley” affixed to each front pastedown.
The Virginians is the sequel to English novelist William Makepeace Thackeray’s The History of Henry Esmond (1852). In The Virginians, the author tells the story of Henry Esmond’s twin grandsons, Virginia-born George and Henry Warrington, who find themselves on opposite sides of the American War of Independence, Henry on the revolutionary side, George siding with the British.
The Virginians was first serialized between 1857 and 1859 in 24 monthly issues, followed by this first edition in book form, published in two volumes in 1858 and 1859 in London by Bradbury & Evans. Of note, this is the last volume illustrated by the author himself, these profuse illustrations including 23 plates in each volume as well as numerous in-text woodcuts. Item #008361
Price: $500.00