This very scarce First Edition of Wives and Daughters by Mrs Elizabeth Gaskell was published posthumously in 1866 by Smith Elder and Co. It has been rebound and features a contemporary binding of pebbled cloth, with gilt lettering to the spines. The text block edges are tinted.
The books are in very good condition (partly due to their contemporary bindings!) but both volumes show a pronounced forward lean. There is wear and bumping to the corners, with minor fraying to the cloth. The boards show minor marks and rubbing and the spines are faintly sunned. Crushing to the spine ends has caused minor splitting in the cloth.
Inside, there is tanning to the endpapers and written initials on the front pastedown. The hinges show the slightest cracking but the pages are tightly bound. The pages show very light age toning and occasional foxing; there are also sporadic marks, including some fingerprint marks but the text is clear and bright. The pages are in remarkably good, clean condition for their age. The binding thread can be seen at the gutter in places but as mentioned above, the pages remain tightly bound. Some of the pages show faint creasing, and some of the top corners have been dog eared by a previous owner - leaving faint creasing behind.
One volume has eight black and white illustrations plates and the other volume has ten plates. These have been collated.
Dimensions of each volume approximately 22cm x 15cm x 3cm.
The books will arrive 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).