Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, The Renowned First Peacock Edition

Jane Austen; Hugh Thomson, illus. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. London: George Allen, 1894. First edition thus; first Peacock edition. Hardcover. Original dark blue/green cloth-covered boards with gilt lettering and the celebrated gilt peacock decoration on the cover and spine, dark blue/green endpapers, and all edges gilt. 8vo; xxvii, [i], [1]-476, [2]pp. With half-title, decorated title page, frontispiece with tissue guard, facsimile inscription, preface by George Saintsbury, numerous line drawings by Hugh Thomson throughout, head- and tailpieces, and ornamental initials. Gilson E78; Keynes 82.

7 3/8 x 5 1/8 in.

This famous edition of Austen's Pride and Prejudice is celebrated for Hugh Thomson's illustrations that accurately capture the spirit of the novel (it was also the first edition to include illustrations throughout), for the peacock design on the boards that reflects the book's themes, and for Saintsbury's introduction which presents the first use of the term "Janite" (or "Janeite") to describe devotees of Austen's work (pg. [ix]).

Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) was an important Irish illustrator best known for his pen and ink drawings featured in works by authors such as Jane Austen and Charles Dickens.

Boards with minor scuffing and light edge wear; spine very slightly cocked and with some wear to ends including a tear at the head; a sturdy volume with a very small spot of cracking at the rear hinge, some areas of light gutter cracking, and the backstrip with separation from text block; interior with overall light wear including some scuffing to endpapers, a small tear to the frontispiece, typical offsetting from the tissue guard, scattered foxing (mostly at preliminaries and final few leaves), and mild toning and handling wear; one leaf with a tear at the inner margin not impacting text. A beautiful copy.