Ivanhoe: A Romance by Scott, Sir Walter - 1820

Edinburgh: printed for Archibald Constable and Co., 1820 Three volumes, half-titles present, Vol. III with three pages of publisher's ads at rear. Second Edition, mixed edition (stated "Second Edition" on title pages, but Vol I & III are Todd & Bowden's First Edition, Third Issue, Vol II is Second Edition). Finely bound in late 19th century burgundy morocco and brown marbled boards, with decorative tooling to the spine in blind, lettered and ruled in gilt, all edges marbled. Very good, with rubbing to extremities, toning to spines, some rubbing to otherwise bright boards, former owner's bookplates to front pastedowns, former owners' inscriptions to title pages and first pages of text, spines lightly cracked and holding at half-titles, Vol. II with a short loss to page 228/229, a few signatures slightly loose but otherwise sturdy and intact bindings, bright and fresh pages. Overall, a pleasing copy. Todd & Bowden 140Ac, 140Ad, 140Ac. Although they all contain cancel titles stating "Second Edition," some volumes of the Second Edition of Ivanhoe are considered by bibliographers to be "First Edition, Third Issue" because they are composed of the same sheets from the First Edition, with the same collation. In this set, Volumes I & III conform to 140Ac, and Vol II contains an error (page 89 is misnumbered 98) that is indicative of the Second Edition. Although confusing, it is understandable how mixed editions and issues of Ivanhoe came to be, as demand for the novel was so high that Second Edition cancels were ordered before the First Edition was even completely bound. Widely considered Scott's most popular work, Ivanhoe is a historical novel set in late 12th century England during the reign of Richard I. Specifically, Ivanhoe, set in 1194 shortly after the Third Crusade, presents the development of modern England as the result of the enmity between the Saxons and Normans. The mythical text is narrated by the fictional protagonist Wilfred of Ivanhoe, a Saxon, and includes many notable historical figures including Richard the Lionheart, Robin Hood and the Merry Men, among others. An instant bestseller with resounding literary significance, Ivanhoe sold out of its first printing of 10,000 copies within two weeks and was credited with catalyzing the popularity of historical fiction.. Hard Cover. Very Good.