The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman – Laurence Sterne (Franklin Library, 1981)

This Franklin Library deluxe edition (1981) of Laurence Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman is of interest to collectors of fine bindings, Laurence Sterne, and 18th century English literature in deluxe editions.

About: A fine copy in the original full red leather binding. The boards are exceptionally bright and vivid, with bold gilt border decoration of repeating cross motifs, a central armorial device in gilt, and gilt-ruled spine with title lettering. Gilt page edges throughout. Marbled endpapers in red and black. Original orange ribbon bookmark present. The interior is pristine — cream pages, crisp and entirely unmarked. An outstanding copy in every respect.

Details:

• Title: The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman
• Author: Laurence Sterne
• Publisher: The Franklin Library, Franklin Center, Pennsylvania
• Publication Date: 1981
• Binding: Full red leather, gilt decoration, gilt page edges
• Features: Marbled endpapers, original ribbon bookmark
• Condition: Fine

Synopsis: Franklin Library deluxe full leather edition of Sterne's celebrated 18th century comic masterpiece - one of the most inventive and influential novels in the English language. A handsome and collectible volume in an outstanding state of preservation.

Review: Laurence Sterne's Tristram Shandy (published in nine volumes, 1759–1767) is one of the great originals of English literature - a wildly digressive, self-referential, and endlessly inventive comic novel that anticipated the techniques of modernism by two centuries. This Franklin Library edition presents the complete text in a sumptuously produced full leather binding, making it as much a pleasure to hold as to read. A fine addition to any collection of decorative or literary bindings.