Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero - William Makepeace Thackeray (Smith, Elder & Co., 1883)

This Smith, Elder & Co. edition (1883) of Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero is of interest to collectors of Victorian literature, William Makepeace Thackeray first and early editions, and 19th century English fiction.

About: Volume I of the twelve-volume collected works, bound in original dark green cloth with gilt spine lettering and blind-stamped WMT monogram to boards. Frontispiece portrait of Thackeray present. Boards show some wear and rubbing to extremities, spine ends slightly frayed; text block toned as expected for age but sound throughout. A presentable collector's copy of a landmark Victorian novel.

Details:

• Title: Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero
• Author: William Makepeace Thackeray
• Publisher: Smith, Elder & Co., London
• Publication Date: 1883
• Edition: Collected Works, Volume I (in Twelve Volumes)
• Binding: Hardcover, original dark green cloth
• Condition: Good

Synopsis: Smith, Elder & Co. collected works imprint, Volume I containing Vanity Fair, original cloth binding with gilt spine, frontispiece portrait; collectible Victorian title, desirable for bibliophiles and Thackeray collectors.

Review: William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair is a panoramic satire of English society in the early 19th century, following the contrasting fortunes of the scheming Becky Sharp and the gentle Amelia Sedley against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. First serialised in 1847–48, the novel remains one of the great works of Victorian fiction, celebrated for its irony, social observation, and the unforgettable character of Becky Sharp.