1858 Wuthering Heights by Ellis Bell & Agnes Grey by Acton Bell (Bronte) / Extremely Early Copy Published Just 11 Years After The Original

A very early and extremely scarce 1858 edition of Emily Bronte’s classic novel Wuthering Heights printed here together with Anne Bronte's Agnes Grey. Originally published in December 1847 by Smith, Elder and Co., Ltd of London, in three volumes using Brontes' pseudonyms Ellis and Acton Bell respectively. This copy was published just eleven years later in 1858, ten and eight years after the deaths of Emily and Anne. It was entitled a "New Edition" also by Smith, Elder and Co. with the aim of producing a one-volume, more affordable version for a wider audience. The original edition had been published in a three-volume triple decker. It is exceptionally hard to find a copy of Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey in this edition today and if you can find one they usually have not survived very well. This copy at 165 years old inevitably has some wear but it remains good, in fact it is in the best condition for this edition that I have so far come across.

Inside the pages are in good condition with some occasional scattered spotting and tanning. Has some toning along the closed top edge. There is the occasional small nick to an edge and the odd folded corner. Cracks open at the hinges at the front and back to reveal webbing and giving the boards a slight wobble, but only minor. The book opens and closes with publisher's adverts to the endpapers and with a four-page catalogue at the back. Has a small pencil inscription on the verso of the front advert free endpaper just in the very top corner. Usually these early editions have become cocked (slanted) with time, but this has not happened to this copy which remains square.

Bound in the original orange boards with black titles. The black has rubbed away in places and there is rubbing to the cloth at the corners of the boards. With some slight darkening to the centre of the boards from handling and also around the edges. The back has rubbed a bit more than the front and there is a crease/indent to the top right corner next to the head of the spine (see final close-up photo).

The orange on the spine has dulled a bit in comparison to the boards and there is just a little rubbing to the cloth at the head and tail. There is one faint dark mark near the bottom. The black titles on the spine remain very visible and this is the best spine I have seen on a copy from this orange edition.

Your 1858 copy of Wuthering Heights and Agnes Grey will be wrapped with great care in tissue and ribbon* and sent well packaged with tracking and full insurance. I am always happy to add a gift card with a message to the parcel.

*AT TIME OF LISTING I also have three other Bronte titles in the matching edition. Shown in the photos*

H 18 cm x W 11.5 cm, 446 pages, 0.38 kg. I dispatch worldwide daily from the UK.

* If you would prefer for your book not to be decoratively wrapped and sent just in the full protective packaging, simply add a note to the order.

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