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The History of Pendennis.
by THACKERAY, William Makepeace
- Used
- first
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London: Bradbury & Evans,, 1849-50. First edition in book form of Thackeray's second major work, published serially in 23 parts between 1848 and 1850. Arthur Pendennis was used as the narrator of many of Thackeray's subsequent books, and is "an admitted alter ego who undergoes subtle analysis and complex criticism" (ODNB). The History of Pendennis was interrupted for three months at the end of 1849 when Thackeray became severely ill. Two volumes, octavo (206 x 131 mm). Handsomely bound by Zaehnsdorf in late 19th-century brown calf, black morocco spine labels, spines decorated in gilt, covers with gilt french fillets, turn-ins richly tooled in gilt, green endpapers, top edges gilt. With an original wrapper bound in to the front of each volume. Engraved title pages with tissue guards, 46 plates, illustrations in the text, all by Thackeray. Spines lightly sunned, minor rubbing to extremities, endpapers lightly browned by turn-ins, tiny stain to fore edges, contents otherwise unaffected, plates a little oxidised, contents otherwise bright, neat paper repair to fore margin of vol. I, p. 381. A very good copy.
Synopsis
Written immediately after Vanity Fair, Pendennis has a similar atmosphere of brooding disillusion, tempered by the most jovial of wits. But here Thackeray plunders his own past to create the character of Pendennis and the world in which he lives: from miserable schoolboy to striving journalist, from carefree Oxbridge to the high (and low) life of London. The result is a superbly panoramic blend of people, action and background. The true ebb and flow of life is caught and the credibility of Pen, his worldly uncle, the Major, and many of the other characters, extends far beyond the pages of the novel. Held together by Thackeray's flowing, confident prose, with its conversational ease of tone, Pendennis is as rich a portrait of England in the 1830s and 40s as it is a thorough and thoroughly entertaining self-portrait.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Peter Harrington
(GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 145512
- Title
- The History of Pendennis.
- Author
- THACKERAY, William Makepeace
- Book Condition
- Used
- Place of Publication
- London: Bradbury & Evans,
- Date Published
- 1849-50
- Note
- May be a multi-volume set and require additional postage.
Terms of Sale
Peter Harrington
All major credit cards are accepted. Both UK pounds and US dollars (exchange rate to be agreed) accepted. Books may be returned within 14 days of receipt for any reason, please notify first of returned goods.
About the Seller
Peter Harrington
Biblio member since 2006
London
About Peter Harrington
Since its establishment, Peter Harrington has specialised in sourcing, selling and buying the finest quality original first editions, signed, rare and antiquarian books, fine bindings and library sets. Peter Harrington first began selling rare books from the Chelsea Antiques Market on London's King's Road. For the past twenty years the business has been run by Pom Harrington, Peter's son.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Calf
- Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
- Gilt
- The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
- Octavo
- Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
- Morocco
- Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
- Edges
- The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
- Sunned
- Damage done to a book cover or dust jacket caused by exposure to direct sunlight. Very strong fluorescent light can cause slight...
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
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