Trollope, Anthony | The Claverings, a fine copy

Property from an Important American Collection

Trollope, Anthony

The Claverings. London: Smith, Elder and Co., 1857

2 volumes, 8vo. Uncut, 16 engravings by M. Ellen Edwards, 2 pages of advertisements at the end of each volume; very light spotting, mainly to plates. Publisher's bright green cloth by Maclehose of Glasgow, decorated in blind and gilt, spines gilt with black detail; head and foot of spines bumped, a spot of loss to the foot of volume I. Collector's quarter morocco slipcase with green chemise.

First edition in fine, bright, clean condition — the Moncure Biddle copy.

The Claverings explores Victorian predicaments surrounding marriage, love and wealth in the form of a love triangle. An important message is the importance of choosing love over worldly goods, related in the case of Lady Ongar, who makes the choice of the latter and finds herself in a state of misery.

Written in 1864, the work was originally serialized in The Cornhill Magazine from February 1866 to May 1867. When the work was published in two volume form by Smith, Elder and Co., two-thirds of a page of text was mistakenly omitted.

Sadleir notes two styles of binding, one using black ink in the decoration, the other not. In this copy (and that referred to by Wolff) black ink is used on the spines but not on the sides. In his comments on rarity and value (p.287) he states that "fine copies are very scarce, but do exist."

REFERENCES:

Sadleir, 27; Wolff 6771

PROVENANCE:

Moncure Biddle (bookplate; Parke Bernet, 29-30 April 1952, lot 749) — Yardley (bookplate)