Ivanhoe; A Romance. By the author of "Waverley," &c. [3 volumes]

Edinburgh / London: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co. 90, Cheapside, London, 1820. Early Reprint. Morocco. Near Fine+. Second Edition of "one of the most remarkable novels of the nineteenth century" (ODNB), with all press figures and two typographical errors (p. 89 of vol. II misnumbered 98; first press figure numeral on p. 132, vol. III, in wrong font and printed upside down) conforming to those specified by Todd & Bowden. Complete in three octavo volumes. [4],xxxiii,[1],306; [2],327,[1]; [2]371,[1]pp, including fly-titles but without half-titles and advertisements in vol. III. Beautifully bound in early black straight-grain morocco, covers elaborated framed in gilt and blind, flat spines richly gilt in six compartments (title and volume numbers stamped in gilt to second and fifth), all edges gilt, marbled end papers. A superb set, the handsome bindings tight and square; light, intermittent foxing (heavier to end papers), but generally clean and bright. Todd and Bowden 140Ad. Grolier English 100, 71. For nineteenth century readers, Ivanhoe was perhaps the most celebrated of Scott's novels (according to Leslie Stephen, it was "Scott's culminating success in a book-selling sense, and marked the highest point both of his literary and social prosperity."). Before Ivanhoe, Scott's plots were drawn from Scottish history, but Ivanhoe launched a major change, based on English history and set earlier than any novel Scott had yet written, at the time of the Crusades. First released 20 December 1819, but with 1820 on the title page, the first-issue printing of 6000 copies was increased to 10,000 for this second edition, issued sometime after 15 January 1820 (first edition, third issue) and before 2 March 1820, when Catharina Crawley (possibly Catharina Crawley Boevey, who married Samuel James Ballard on 21 November 1822, in Flaxley, Gloucestershire) signed and dated the title page of our vol. I. "Ivanhoe is essentially a moral work. It is an intense consideration of misogyny and racial oppression, in which the attempted rape of Rebecca the Jewess by the dominant figure of the Norman master race, Brian de Bois-Guilbert, is a powerful symbol of the themes of the novel. Ivanhoe may be set in a distant period, but it has a political modernity . . ." (ODNB) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).