This scarce early edition of Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper was published by Richard Bentley. The frontispiece is dated 1836 but sadly the title page is missing so I can't be 100% certain. It's either from the 1830's or 1840's though. It was part of the Bentley's Standard Novels series which was a collection of affordable, one volume edition books brought out in the mid 19th Century. Up until this point, novels had a standard three volume format which was an expensive purchase. This series helped make novels more accessible to a wider audience of people.
The book has had some restoration work as half the spine was missing - what's quirky is that there was another book spine upside down underneath what was left of the Last of the Mohicans spine. Please see photo taken by the book restorer of what it looked like originally.
The book has been given a new cloth spine underneath what was left of the original spine. It's now in much better condition and can be read and enjoyed for many years to come. The book has a forward lean and there is crushing to the corners. The boards have some minor marking and there is bumping to the board edges.
Sadly, the title page is missing from the book so the frontispiece is followed by the first page of the introduction. There are several names written on the reverse of the frontispiece. The pages show significant marking, foxing and age toning throughout. The hinges have been reinforced with tape.
Dimensions approximately 18cm x 11.5cm x 3cm.
The book will arrive hand wrapped in patterned wallpaper and string.
I use a range of eco friendly, 100% recyclable jiffy bags and boxes, and whenever possible I use brown paper tape. The green bubble wrap is oxo-degradable and the clear bubble wrap is 100% recyclable. I also reuse boxes when I feel it's appropriate (if the boxes are sturdy enough).