Tales and Miscellaneous Pieces

Hardcover. Good. Printed for R Hunter [and many others], London, 1825, first collected edition, in 14 volumes (of which 10 are here present - full details later in this catalogue entry); small 8vo, 112 x 183mm, around 300-400pp per volume; each title with the same ornamental woodcut; uniformly bound in an early binding of purple pebbled cloth, spines titled gilt. Condition is generally good but be aware of the following elements - the spines are now uniformly faded to brown, purple being a highly fugitive colour; there's minor fraying and some small tears at the head or foot of some volumes; one front and two back hinges are cracked internally and perhaps six others are a little weak but remain whole; there's occasional mild discolouration of some covers, a typical instance showing in one of the photographs; most volumes are lightly foxed internally; the volumes are marked in gilt 1 to 10 on the spines but these numbers don't, of course, reflect the 14-volume numbering; each volume is neatly signed "Robert Chichester" in contemporary ink on the front fly. ... ... ... ... In reference to the 14 volumes required the following are absent: v. 2-3. Belinda.--v. 4. Lenora. Letter from a gentleman to his friend, upon the birth of a daughter; with the answer. Julia and Caroline. An essay on the noble science of self-justification--v. 7. Ennui. Almeria. ... ... ... In turn and with the same references to the 14 volume set, the following are present: v. 1. Castle Rackrent. Essay on Irish bulls. The modern Griselda.--v. 5. Lame Jervas. The will. The Limerick gloves. Out of debt out of danger. The lottery. Rosanna. Murad the Unlucky. The manufacturers.--v. 6. The contrast. The grateful negro. To-morrow. Love and law. The rose, thistle, and shamrock.--v. 8. Madame de Fleury. The dun. Manoeuvering.--v. 9. Vivian. Emilie de Coulanges.--v. 10. The absentee.--v. 11-12. Patronage.--v. 13. Harrington. Ormond.--v. 14. Ormond (concluded). ... ... ... Quite why this situation has arisen is unclear. Perhaps four volumes were mislaid and a later owner decided on binding the remaining volumes as a coherent group. However, as the various tales and pieces were sensibly published complete by original volume everything present is complete in itself over the ten volumes offered. It's therefore an opportunity to obtain at an excellent price a large part of Edgeworth's published works in its first collected edition form and published during her lifetime (she died in 1849). Maria Edgeworth was the second child of her father's eventual 22 children and although born in Derbyshire was party brought up on family estates in Ireland, duly becoming her father's assistant in management. Her approach was one of social justice and fair treatment for tenants and such views are reflected in much of her writing. She was an active and prolific writer and addressed sympathetically in her writing many matters concerning religion, class, race and ethnic identity, feminism, and sex and other then controversial matters. Her influence on children's writing and on the development of the novel generally were considerable and she was in touch with many of the leading writers, thinkers and intellectuals of the day. Castle Rackrent, her first published work and the one which set her firmly on her writing path with its success, is a satire on Anglo-Irish landlords and a call for more responsible management. Her views on human nature were those of Rousseau rather than Hobbes and her views on education were progressive and scientific.