THE DUKE'S CHILDREN. A Novel. In Three Volumes by Trollope, Anthony - 1880

1880. London: Chapman and Hall, 1880. 24 pp Vol III undated ads. Original blue-green cloth decorated in black.

First Edition of the sixth and last Palliser novel. Since the end of THE PRIME MINISTER, the Duchess of Omnium has died, leaving to the Duke the care of their three children; just who is providing a social education to whom is debatable. By 1880 Trollope's star was waning, with the result that (since fewer copies were probably being printed) some of his later books are also among his scarcer. For example IS HE POPENJOY? (1878), AN EYE FOR AN EYE (1879), JOHN CALDIGATE (1879), THE DUKE'S CHILDREN (1880), DR. WORTLE'S SCHOOL (1881), WHY FRAU FROHMANN (1882) and KEPT IN THE DARK (1882) are all ranked by Sadleir in the upper half in scarcity. In this set, Vol III does have an ad catalogue (Sadleir reports that Vol III sometimes but not always has ads; the other two volumes never do). These volumes are in very good, bright condition: they are a little askew, and there is minor wear and rubbing at some extremities, and a little wrinkling of Vol II's cloth; some of the original pinkish-buff endpapers are cracked, and one has a small edge-chip. That said, the spine gilt remains unusually bright -- in all, desirable condition for this Palliser novel. Sadleir (TROLLOPE) 57. Provenance: two of the volumes' front endpapers bear the small ink-stamp "English Book-Club | Trieste