The Works of Charles Reade

Boston: Colonial Press Company, c1900. Leather. Very Good. 8" by 5.5". Frank T. Merrill. A very handsome set of the Works of the English novelist and playwright, Charles Reade. Reade (8 June 1814 – 11 April 1884) fell out of fashion by the turn of the century—"it is unusual to meet anyone who has voluntarily read him," wrote George Orwell in an essay on Reade - but during the 19th century he was one of England's most popular novelists and his most famous novel, The Cloister and the Hearth, with its endless succession of boisterous adventures in a sketchily picturesque medieval setting, and its topical theme of the evils of clerical celibacy, has been regarded by some leading critics as perhaps the greatest historical novel in English. Indeed, although Reade may lack the refinement and skill that ensured the endurance of contemporaries such as Dickens and Eliot, his gift for rapid, exciting narrative, lively dialogue, and vivid, often horrific description ensured his popularity in his time and makes many of his novels enjoyable reads to this day. The set consists of: Foul Play Never Too Late To Mend (in two volumes) A Woman Hater Peg Woffington and Christie Johnstone Love Me Little Love Me Long Griffith Gaunt or, Jealousy A Terrible Temptation The Cloister and the Hearth (in two volumes) The Jilt and Good Stories Put Yourself in his Place (in two volumes) The Course of True Love Never Did Run Smooth, The Autobiography of a Thief and Singleheart and Doubleface White Lies Hard Cash (in two volumes) Each volume features three photogravure illustrations "from drawings by Frank T. Merrill", including a frontispiece with tissueguard, opposite attractive two colour title pages. Beacon edition. All volumes lack any indication of date, although the gilt exterior decoration would suggest a date around the turn of the century. It is difficult to ascertain whether this set is complete as there is no record of its existence on any literary database, but certainly every one of Reade's major works may be found in this handsome collection of eighteen volumes. Uniformly bound in half morocco with marbled boards. Externally, smart with generally very little shelfwear - save for some lifting of the spine to the head of three volumes - but with sunning to all spines. Of 32 hinges, six are strained and three tender. Internally, firmly bound. Front free endpaper of Love Me... is loose but present. Pages are very bright and clean throughout, indeed this set appears to be unread. Very Good