The shaving of Shagpat. An Arabian entertainment.

London : Chapman and Hall, 1856. First edition. Octavo (195 x 125 mm), original maroon pebbled cloth (Carter’s “B” variant binding), boards with decoration in blind (light marks, corners bumped), spine lettered in gilt ‘The Shaving of Shagpat / Meredith / 10/6’ and with gilt decoration at head and foot (spine rolled); front pastedown with circular ex libris label with monogram and ‘Keswick 1875’; half-title with offsetting to recto and early owner’s pencilled name ‘A. G. Matthews’ to verso; pp. viii, 384; one quire (195-214) almost detached, contents clean; a fair reading copy.

The first novel of George Meredith (1828-1909), constructed as a series of interconnected Oriental tales in the style of Eastern storytellers. Despite the book being reviewed favourably by George Eliot, sales were not strong and most of the copies in the first edition were remaindered. Meredith would go on to be nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times.