Trilby  1895

Trilby by George du Maurier

Limited Large Paper Vellum Edition – No. 583 of 600 (collector's edition)
Harper & Brothers, 1895

$110 CDN

This is a stunning copy of the 1895 limited large-paper edition of Trilby by George du Maurier, issued in a deluxe full vellum binding with elaborate floral gilt decoration and yapp edges. Limited to only 600 numbered copies, this is No. 583, finely printed and bound for collectors in the year following the novel’s original 1894 publication.

• Bound in full vellum, with gilt-stamped decorative cover and spine, featuring an ornate floral motif and art nouveau influences

• Large paper format on fine laid paper stock

• Richly illustrated by du Maurier throughout, including frontispiece and in-text illustrations

• Top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed (deckled)

• Yapp edges and original endpapers intact

The condition is Very Good, with natural vellum toning (this can be professionally cleaned with care and you can learn to do it yourself), strong gilt work, and clean, unmarked pages. The binding is sound.

Trilby became a literary and cultural sensation at the turn of the century, introducing the archetype of Svengali, the manipulative artist whose name has become synonymous with psychological control, but was also the most infamous of the all too pervasive antisemitic stereotypes of the period. 

This deluxe edition reflects both the book’s popularity and its artistic legacy in the world of illustrated fiction and fin-de-siècle design.

A scarce and highly collectible edition of a landmark Victorian novel, rarely found in this condition with the full vellum floral binding well preserved.