THE WARDEN by Trollope, Anthony - 1855

1855. [the first Barsetshire novel] London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, 1855. Bound in three-quarter light brown calf with leather spine labels, with patterned paper-covered boards.

First Edition of Trollope's fourth novel, preceded only by THE MACDERMOTS of BALLYCLORAN [1847], THE KELLYS AND THE O'KELLYS [1848] and LA VENDÉE [1850]. THE WARDEN "was his first real success and the beginning of the Barsetshire series" [CGEL] -- the story line was picked up again two years later in BARCHESTER TOWERS. "THE WARDEN is essential to every lover of Trollope because it is in these pages that he meets for the first time two of the great figures in English fiction, Mr. [Septimus] Harding and Archdeacon Grantly" [Walpole, quoted in Gerould]. The issue-points for THE WARDEN all have to do with the ad catalogue (if any) and the ads imprinted on the original endpapers, neither of which is present in this copy that was (probably 100-140 years ago) rebound by Zaehnsdorf. Condition is very good-plus, with minor rubbing at the extremities and light soil on the boards. Sadleir (Trollope) 4.