This stunning and scarce collection of the Works of Maria Edgeworth was published in 1832 and 1833 by Bladwin and Cradock. Each volume is uniformly bound in contemporary half calf leather, with marbled paper boards and marbled text block edges. The spines feature five raised bands and gilt tooling. It's a very attractive set.
Maria Edgeworth is not as well known with modern readers, but Jane Austen was a great admirer of her work. And Edgeworth was actually more famous than Austen during her lifetime. Edgeworth recently featured in Rebecca Romney's Jane Austen's Bookshelf which is a fascinating read. It explores the women authors that Jane Austen loved and looks at why they fell out of the literary canon and are unfamiliar to many modern readers.
The books are in very good condition, with just general signs of use and wear. There is wear to the corners with some minor loss and chipping to the leather in places. The spines are faded, with some minor loss to the gilt. The top edges of the text block are dulled. The boards show rubbing and wear, with minor marks and scuffs in places.
Inside, the pages show scattered foxing and there are nameplates glued to every front pastedown. The endpapers are marbled to compliment the boards.
Dimensions of each volume 19cm x 17cm. If you are thinking of ordering from outside of the UK or US, please be aware that there may be customs fees to pay to the courier.
All books will be hand wrapped in patterned wallpaper and ribbon.
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).