Thackeray’s Works, Finely-Bound And Illustrated, 19 Volumes, 1901.

THACKERAY, William Makepeace. The Works of William Makepeace Thackeray. London: Smith, Elder & Co.; Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1901.

First Edition thus. Nineteen (19) volumes, partial set. Octavo (8vo.) Finely bound in three-quarter morocco over marbled boards with raised bands, richly gilt-decorated spines, marbled endpapers, and top edges gilt. Illustrated throughout with plates and text engravings.

Contents clean and fresh, with numerous unopened gatherings throughout, reflecting light handling and unread portions. Bindings sound and well-preserved, with light rubbing to extremities and minor wear to edges and raised bands. Top edges gilt; marbled endpapers present. Contemporary owner bookplates to front pastedowns. Silk ribbon markers retained in all but one volume. Light shelf wear only. Bindings exceptionally tight.

Issued at a time when Thackeray had become firmly established within the English literary canon, the set gathers many of his best-known works: Pendennis; The Newcomes; Henry Esmond; The Virginians; The Adventures of Philip; The Great Hoggarty Diamond; The Book of Snobs; The Paris Sketch Book; Yellowplush Papers; Catherine; The Four Georges; The English Humourists; Lovel the Widower; Miscellaneous Essays; Sketches; Reviews; and Christmas Books. Thackeray’s fiction helped shape the Victorian novel through its combination of social satire, historical observation, and psychologically complex characters.

The elaborate morocco bindings and illustrated format reflect the Edwardian taste for finely produced library editions intended for reading as well as display. A bright gilt, 19-volume (partial) set in Near Fine condition.