The History of Henry Esmond, Esq. A colonel in the service of Her Majesty Q. Anne. Written by himself.
1852. London: Smith, Elder, & Company, 1852.
3 vols. 8vo, 344; vi, 319; vi, 324 pp. Publisher’s fine ribbed cloth with printed paper labels on backstrip, white endpapers, blanks preceding the half titles of vols. 2 and 3. Without ads. Each vol. hinges cracked and separating, some signatures loose, boards bumped, cloth and label darkened and worn. Monogram bookplate of Annie Burr Jennings on front free endpaper with motto “Otium sine literis mors est” (leisure without literature is death). A good, complete copy in an attractive slipcase.
§ First edition. “It is on Henry Esmond that Thackeray's fame as a historical novelist primarily rests. The first, three-volume edition was printed in an antique typeface and with antique spelling. Set during the reign of Queen Anne, the novel focuses attention on the English revolution and on the conflicts over succession caused by William III and Anne having no surviving children...” “One of the most thought-provoking and unsettling among Victorian novels”. (DNB) Tinker 2113. Sadlier 3187. Van Duzer 85. Woolf 6692. Item #110487
Price: $200.00