A LAODICEAN; Or, The Castle of the De Stancys. A Story of Today

A LAODICEAN; Or, The Castle of the De Stancys. A Story of Today

(London: Sampson, Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, 1881).

FIRST EDITION OF HARDY'S MOST CONTEMPORARY NOVEL. Unlike his Wessex novels, this is work is set in the more technologically advanced contemporaneous age, so the plot exhibits devices uncommon among Hardy's novels, such as falsified telegrams and faked photographs. It was originally published in monthly installments in the European edition of Harper's New Monthly Magazine, from December 1880 to December 1881. Due to this arrangement Harper was able to publish the work in book form first, but this English edition was only issued a few weeks later and contains revisions made by Hardy not included in Harper's issue. It is the only three-decker issue published and the print run is presumed to be only around 1000 copies. Item #29225

3 volumes. First English edition. 8vo, bound in the publisher's original slate gray cloth, the covers blocked in blind, the spine panels lettered and decorated in gilt. Now housed in a fine morocco backed foldover case. 312; 275; 269 pp. A handsome and especially well preserved set, the cloth retaining its original handsome quality. internally fine with just a bit of normal age mellowing to the text, the original half-titles retained.

Price: $5,950.00