Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby by an Old Boy - (Thomas Hughes ) - Illustrations After Larkin G. Mead, Jr. - Book Issued in 1872 by James Osgood & Co. American Reprint , Hardcover Format. Genesis of the English Boarding School Genre.

"An Old Boy" (Thomas Hughes , 1822 - 1896)

Published by James R. Osgood & Co., London, 1872

About this Item

Thomas Hughes wrote "School Days at Rugby" (by an Old Boy) in 1857. It was immediately popular, spawning in its wake an entire genre of English Boarding School novels. The novel is more widely known as "Tom Brown's School Days". Hughes wrote a sequel titled "Tom Brown at Oxford". The story is in large part based on Hughes's own recollections of Rugby, and the character of Tom Brown is thought to be based on Hughes's own brother, George Hughes.

As with so many novels, the protagonist must deal with an enemy - in the case of Tom Brown, it was an upperclassman bully named Flashman. In the 20th century, George Macdonald Fraser wrote a series of adventure novels featuring as hero, the adult Flashman . "Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby" has been the basis for several film and television adaptations. The book is charmingly illustrated with line drawings by Larkin G. Mead, Jr., whose style is similar to that of Flaxman.

TITLE : School Days at Rugby
AUTHOR : "an Old Boy" (Thomas Hughes, 1822 - 1896)
ILLUSTRATOR : Larkin G. Mead, Jr.
IMPRINT : James R. Osgood and Company
PLACE : Boston
DATE : 1872
EDITION : Reprint
PHYSICAL DETAILS : Trade hardcover; Contains 8 line illustrations, including frontispiece; 405 pages plus one page of author's list; approximately 4 1/2" x 7" (12mo); dull brownish-purple cloth with title, etc. lettered in gilt on spine and boards with decorative line borders stamped in blind; chocolate colored end-papers; publisher's device on title page

CONDITION -- GOOD ONLY --This is a previously owned book that remains clean and presentable, with the following particulars noted:

Boards : Modest wear to edges, including soft bumps to corner tips; board surfaces display light rub and a slight bit of cloth ballooning - basically clean and presentable .

Spine : Compression and fraying to extremities - cloth is sunned and gilt is somewhat dulled - else clean and presentable .

Binding / Hinges : The book has been much read, and is considerably shaken, with a couple of signatures "standing proud" (jutting out) - and as well hinges are "cracked" - and while the general demeanor is somewhat tired, no leaves are detached - the entire affair mast be considered as fragile.

Text-Block Edges : Weathered, darkened and foxed.

End-Papers: A bit of surface rumple, else clean and unmarked .

Interior : Foxed throughout, with various small spots and/or smudges of no real impact - basically clean and the illustrations present nicely. A previous owner's signature was written in India ink at the head of the title page (L. H. Hemenway).

Seller Inventory # 1140

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Tom Brown's School Days at Rugby by an Old Boy - (Thomas Hughes ) - Illustrations After Larkin G. Mead, Jr. - Book Issued in 1872 by James Osgood & Co. American Reprint , Hardcover Format. Genesis of the English Boarding School Genre.
• Publisher: James R. Osgood & Co., London
• Publication Date: 1872
• Language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Larkin G. Mead
• Edition: Illustrated Edition
• Condition: Good
• Dimensions: 7W x 10H x 3D inches 7 inches width by 10 inches height by 3 inches depth
• Weight: 1.25 pounds
• Seller catalogs:
  • British Authors
  • Illustrated Books
  • Fiction