The Struggles of Brown, Jones, and Robinson by One of the Firm [Rare True First]

Trollope, Anthony

Price: 3000.00 USD

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1862. A Very Good copy of the EXCEEDINGLY RARE TRUE FIRST EDITION of this comic Trollope novel. First serialized in Cornhill Magazine from August 1861 to March 1862, Harper & Brothers published the work in book form in the US on May 6, 1862, approximately 8 years prior to the first UK edition, which was not published in the UK until 1870 (Smith, Elder & Co.). This copy has been rebound (the binding is in poor condition, with a short tear near the top of the front joint and a long tear along the rear joint -- the front board is holding and the rear board is barely holding). The book has one free endpaper, followed by the title page, the text (with pp. 75-76 in facsimile), and two rear free endpapers -- the endpapers may, or may not, be replacements, but they look appropriate to the period. The leaves are in Very Good condition, with scattered soiling and the occasional crease or corner bump. Sadleir himself never found a copy and states that his "American friends have contributed details of collation, but even they have failed to discover a copy in original shape. Wherefore the allocation of pages, the binding and illustration details have had to be surmised. [Sadleir speculates that there was a frontispiece and presumes that there were preliminary advertisements in accordance with Harper's custom.] Smith located at a copy in the original wrappers and found no frontispiece. Our copy thus lacks the preliminary advertisements cited by Smith, as well as the blank page that originally followed the title page. The copy otherwise is complete. [No half-title was called for.] Smith notes that the US editions of Trollope's novels published in paper covers (as was this title -- the first of Trollope's novels to be published by Harper only in paper covers) are extremely scarce. In our experience, this title is especially so. A Very Good copy of the EXCEEDINGLY RARE TRUE FIRST EDITION, the first of Trollope's novels to be first published (in book form) in America. Rare. First edition. Very Good.