Pride and Prejudice.

With a Preface by George Saintsbury and illustrations by Hugh Thomson. London : George Allen, 1894. First edition thus. Octavo, elaborately gilt-illustrated cloth by illustrator Hugh Thomson (very slightest impressions to head and foot of spine, barely visible marks to lower board, the gilt to the cover and spine uniformly crisp and bright, all edges gilt, a couple of very small spots of foxing to preliminaries, the contents clean and crisp, and to all appearances unread, pp. xxvii; [blank]; 476, frontispiece illustration with tissue guard, illustrations by High Thomson, an immaculate example.

An exceptional copy of the ‘Peacock edition’ of Austen’s classic, one of the finest pictorial cloth bindings of the nineteenth century.

Pride and Prejudice was first published in 1813, without illustrations, the 1833 edition was issued with a frontispiece, as were all subsequent editions until this one. The 1894 edition published by George Allen featured illustrations throughout by celebrated artist Hugh Thomson who also designed the lavish gilt illustrated cover which, for many, defines the themes of the novel. The ‘Peacock edition’ was reprinted several times with numerous facsimile editions made in the twentieth century. The 1894 first edition was issued in two states : with the top edge gilt and others uncut, and with all edges gilt, which spectacularly frames the mesmerising cover design.