AYALA'S ANGEL by Trollope, Anthony - 1881

1881. In Three Volumes. London: Chapman and Hall, 1881. Original light orange cloth decorated in black. First Edition of "possibly the most unjustly neglected of all Trollope's novels... What vigour of scene and creation, what vitality of action and dialogue it contains" [Walpole]. Carefree Ayala Dormer, left with no means of support after the death of her artist father, is shuttled from one relative's home to another, where she quickly becomes the object of jealousy on the part of resident daughters -- while Ayala searches for a husband who would be not just security but rather a romantic "angel of light." This is a very good-plus set, of a Trollope title that is well-nigh impossible to find in fine condition: the light orange cloth is susceptible not only to soil but also to fading of the spines (and even on a brand-new set, the spines would have been almost illegible, since the gilt does not stand out against light orange cloth). The spines of this set are a little faded as usual, and there are very faint ghosts of front-cover labels -- but there is scarcely any external wear or soil. The original black-coated endpapers have only minor cracking (Vol III's front one has some paper residue). In all, this is a much better copy than is typically encountered -- of this difficult Trollope title. Sadleir (TROLLOPE) 60; Sadleir (XIX) p. 382; Wolff 6764.