The tale book. First series

[SHELLEY, Mary]

Published by Baudry's European Library, Paris, 1834

About this Item

[2], 438pp. [Together with:] The tale book. second series. Paris. Baudry's European Library, 1835. First edition. [4], 423pp, [1]. 8vo. uniformly bound in contemporary black half-calf, marbled boards, tooled in gilt and blind, contrasting red morocco lettering-pieces. Lightly rubbed. Spotted. The first edition of both the first and second series of a literary anthology including contributions by, inter alia, Washington Irving, Sir Walter Scott, and, most notably, the second appearance in print of two stories by Mary Shelley, The Swiss Peasant and Transformation, both first published in The Keepsake for 1831. The former is a story of the brutal effect the French Revolution had on those residing in the Alps, that exposes the flaws of the class system and highlights the strength of women (a common theme in Shelley's writing). The latter a darkly Gothic tale that explores the motif of the doppelgänger and bears thematic similarities to her magnum opus, Frankenstein, in particular the egotistical natures of the protagonists. Seller Inventory # AQ26145

Bibliographic Details

Title: The tale book. First series

Publisher: Baudry's European Library, Paris

Publication Date: 1834

Binding: Hardcover

Edition: First edition.