[Hughes, Thomas]

8vo (185 x 124 mm), half-title, crushed blue morocco gilt by Riviere & Son, covers with fillet borders and corner-pieces, gilt dentelles, maroon endpapers, original cloth backstrip and covers bound in at the end, top edge gilt, collector's cloth box, early library stamp on verso of title, a few leaves very slightly browned

Gumuchian 3110; Osborne p.357

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

FIRST EDITION OF THE AUTHOR'S CLASSIC NOVEL CELEBRATING THE ETHOS OF NINETEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS, with its particular emphasis on physical and moral development. The book's popularity "must be linked to its powerful structuring myth in which Rugby School is England, and the experience of the boy, learning self-reliance so that authority may be delegated to him, symbolizes the experience of the man of the governing class...The novel's opening paragraphs constitute one of the great evocations of Englishness...Vivid scenes of the trouncing of bullies, and the glories of the cricket and football fields, enliven the narrative, which also has much emphasis on boxing, for Hughes believed passionately in the healthiness and manliness of a fair fight..." (Charlotte Mitchell, Oxford DNB).