The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling.
London: A. Millar, 1749.
Price: $7,500.00
About the item
First edition. With errata leaf in vol. I and the following cancels, as usual: B9-10 (vol. I); B4-5 & N12 (vol. II); H8-10, M3 & Q11 (vol. III); B1 (vol. IV); N8 (vol. V). 6 vols. 12mo. Contemporary calf, covers with double-fillet gilt border, red morocco spine labels. Early rebacking preserving spines, joints now rubbed or cracked, spine labels damaged with some loss to lettering, vol. I with light dampstain, vol. 3 spine cracked and texblock split at p. 182-3. Errata in vols. I & II corrected in an early hand. Rothschild 850-851; Cross III, p. 316-7; Grolier English, 48. Provenance: R. Robinson Close & Jane Robinson (signatures on pastedowns); John Clowes (signature on titles); Louis and Anne Marie Davidson (booklabel).
Item #308219
The first edition of Fielding's masterpiece, arguably the greatest English novel of the 18th century.
Demand for Fielding's novel was so great that all 2,000 copies of the first edition were bought up by the trade before the book's publication on 28 February 1749. A second edition of 1,500 copies, being a paginary reprint of the first, was ordered. By the end of the year 10,000 copies spread over four editions had been issued.
The publication announcement in the General Advertiser noted that Tom Jones was offered only in "Blue Paper and Boards, at the price of 16s. a set … It being impossible to get sets bound fast enough to answer the demand for them." This copy of the first edition in contemporary calf with the vol. I errata and the usual cancels.
