The Novels of Jane Austen, in ten volumes [in presentation box] by Jane Austen - 1893

London: J M Dent and Company, 1893 An extremely rare 10 volume set of Jane Austen's novels, illustrated by William C Cooke, in contemporary presentation box. The box is made of stiff card - cloth covered externally to match the book bindings, and with gold leaf-decorated paper internally. The box is dulled and with some brown staining to the top and a little fraying at the top joint, but is complete and sound. There is a gilt decorative emblem to the front side to match the book bindings and 'Jane Austen's Novels' in gilt at the top. The books, edited by W Brimley Johnson, are in pale grey/green cloth with gilt decoration and titles to front boards and spine. All the bindings are clean, and the spines have slight cocking to the front with a little pulling. Corners tend to have slight bumping. Top page edges are gilt, remainder untrimmed. Each has an ex libris imprint to the front pastedown for the new owner to add their details - none of the books have had this completed. All have a tissue-guarded frontispiece - in the first volume - Sense and Sensibility part I, this is a portrait of Jane Austen by Johann Zoffany - and in the remainder the frontispieces are illustrations by Cooke. All volumes have 2 further Cooke illustrations with tissue-guards bar Sense and Sensibility part I which has 3. Each novel has half title to the set; title; details of publication dates and a preface by Brimley Johnson and Sense and Sensibility part I has an article by Johnson on Austen's life and works. All the books are in very good condition. In detail - Vol I, Sense and Sensibility Part I: published Jan 1893 3rd edition pp xxxii; text 1-163; 4 plates. Vol II, S&S Pt 2: publ Jan 1893 3rd ed pp 1-218; 3 plates. Cloth binding has some bubbling to the top of both boards. Vol III, Pride and Prejudice Pt 1: published Feb 1893 3rd edition vii; text 1-191; 3 plates. Light browning to free endpapers. Vol IV, P&P Pt 2: published Feb 1893 3rd edition. pp 5-210; 3 plates. Light browning to free endpapers and light spotting final leaf. Vol V, Mansfield Park Part I: published March 1893 3rd edition; vi; text 1-245; 3 plates. light browning to free endpapers. Vol VI, MP Pt 2: published Mar 1893 3rd edition; text 1-249; 3 plates. Light browning to free endpapers. Vol VII, Emma Part I: published Mar 1894 4th edition; vi; text 1-245; plates 3. Binding with small pale spot to front board and paler/browner area to back board close to the spine. There is some tearing in the middle of p 174, which was probably there at binding. There is no loss of text and this has been stabilised with archive repair tape. Vol VIII, Emma pt 2: published Mar 1894; text 1-258; 3 plates. There is a small line on the top of the front board and a similar line in the cloth on the back board. There is a brown spot on the tissue guard to the second text plate and slight spotting to the rear endpaper. Vol IX, Northanger Abbey: published May 1894, 4th edition; text 1-245; 3 plates. Small slightly faded area to front board. Vol X, Persuasion: published May 1894, 4th edition; text 1-261; 3 plates. The books have clearly been read but all are very clean internally with only the occasional light mark.