Signed Letter Notes Speech by Thackeray William (1 results)
Published by 1896 Philadelphia, PA, Private 1896
- Hardcover
- First Edition
Seller: Geoffrey's Rare Books, Tucumcari, NM, U.S.A.Geoffrey's Rare Books
Contact seller5-star sellerCondition: Used - Very good
US$ 2,450.00
US$ 12.50 shippingShips within U.S.A.Quantity: 1 available
Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket as Issued. First Edition. Signed by Author Original Boards. Just Reduced! This is an extraordinarily rare offering. The book itself was rare at the moment that it was printed in 1896. There were only forty copies privately printed. The book is in its original boards which sh…ow general aging. The front pastedown of the book has two plates attached. One for the Zamorano Club in Los Angeles California and one ownership plate for a William F. Gable. This book also contains a letter to actor William Macready who was a friend of Thackerays. The occasion of Mr. Thackeray heading for America germinated this literary gathering and dinner. Charles Dickens was the "Chairman" of the meeting. There were sixty places set and exactly sixty people sat down. They were the literary society of England at that time and this publication is important not just literarily but historically. First, The Book: As mentioned above the book is in drab tan and offwhite boards. It is unpaginated and full quarto in size. Every single page has a protective guard that is full size and is heavier than normal tissue guards. They are just a lighter paper stock than the text itself. The book shows external aging with some soiling. The lettering on the spine is still present and readable and the spine shows wear as well. The textblock is very clean and there is no foxing. There is a small fully closed tear to the ffep of about 1 1/2". The presentation case is custom designed and executed for this particular copy of the book. Remember there were only forty copies. The case is made of the highest quality red leather and it is lined with silk moire. There is 23kt gold lettering on the case and the sole detraction of the case is a slight dime-sized depression just over the word "notes" on the front of the case. The case is full clamshell and will protect this fine offering for generations. This book comes with a letter that was personally written and signed by Thackeray. It is in very fine condition and was written in Edinburgh, Scotland. Thackeray had two handwritings over the course of his life. He had a sloping hand which is very well seen in the body of the letter. He also had an "upright" hand which we can see in in his writing of the address. So in this one example we have samples of both of this author's different styles of penmanship. The content of the note is a very courteous decline of an invitation from a friend in Scotland. Basically he says that he is running out of time in that country and otherwise he would find it very pleasurable to accept the invitation. It is a very, very fine example of a hand-penned letter by a great Victorian novelist. I apologize for the length of this description but there was a lot to tell you about. Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions regarding this beautiful Antiquarian offering. We are pleased to send pictures on request.
