The way of all flesh. by Butler, Samuel - 1903

London: Grant Richards, 1903. 8vo (19.5 cm, 7.68"). [6], 423, [1], 12 (adv.) pp.

First edition of "the second-best novel in the English language" (according to A.A. Milne). This groundbreaking, semi-autobiographical reaction to Victorian hypocrisy recounts the struggle of Ernest Pontifex to overcome his family's selfish, smothering piety and insistence on conformity. In a prefatory note, Richard Alexander Streatfeild, a friend of the author's, explains that he edited the book and arranged for its posthumous publication in accordance with Butler's wishes.
    Provenance: Front pastedown with bookplate of Dame Agnes Jekyll (1861–1937), a writer, philanthropist, and patron of the arts; bookplate signed by Charles William Sherborn, 1890.
    
    NCBEL, III, 1407. Publisher's red cloth, front cover and spine with gilt-stamped title, top edge gilt, now in quarter brown morocco and tan cloth–covered open-back slipcase with matching cloth–covered chemise; binding slightly cocked, moderately worn overall with spine darkened and spots of light discoloration to covers, slipcase with spine bands and extremities rubbed. Hinges (inside) tender, sewing starting to loosen along some gutters; pages faintly age-toned, otherwise clean. => A serviceable copy with a nice association.