The Virginians A Tale of the Last Century

London: Bradbury and Evans, 1858-59. First edition. Leather. Good. 8.5" by 5". W. M. Thackeray. The scarce and important first issue of this novel by William Makepeace Thackeray. Bound from the parts with "actresses" on page 207 line 33 and misnumbered chapter 47 and 48. Complete in two volumes and illustrated with frontispieces, extra engraved title pages, in text illustrations and all 44 further plates as called for. Overall very good condition, with the usual toning to the edges of the plates, but unusually clean. Binding could do with smartening up and replacement of spine labels (neither difficult or expensive) Thackeray began as a satirist and parodist, with a sneaking fondness for roguish upstarts like Becky Sharp in Vanity Fair, Barry Lyndon in The Luck of Barry Lyndon and Catherine in Catherine. In his earliest works, writing under such pseudonyms as Charles James Yellowplush, Michael Angelo Titmarsh and George Savage Fitz-Boodle, he tended towards the savage in his attacks on high society, military prowess, the institution of marriage and hypocrisy. Notable among the later novels is The History of Henry Esmond, in which Thackeray tried to write a novel in the style of the eighteenth century. In fact, the eighteenth century held a great appeal for Thackeray. Not only Esmond but also Barry Lyndon and Catherine are set then, as is the sequel to Esmond, The Virginians, which takes place in America and includes George Washington as a character who nearly kills one of the protagonists in a duel. In half calf bindings. There is some wear to the extremities including some overall rubbing which has resulted in surface damage to the papers and leather. All spine labels are missing. The corners and top and tails of the spines are slightly bumped with some slight loss to the tail of volume II. The inner hinges are strained but holding. The bindings are generally tight and firm although the cords are exposed in a couple of places. Internally the books are generally unusually bright but have some scattered spotting which does affect the plates as expected but much less severe than often seen. There are copperplate signatures to the coloured front end papers and following blank end papers in both volumes. Good