Second printing of the 'Peacock Edition' of Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen, with stunning gilt cover design by Hugh Thomson. The illustrations in this copy have been hand-coloured in striking and vivid colours by a skilled painted. Due to the ownership signature, they were probably created by the artist Charles Le Tall, who studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1884-1886, or his wife, Mary Annie Le Tall who was a member of the Ipswich Fine Arts Club.

Hugh Thomson (1860-1920) renowned illustrator, in pen and ink, of classic titles; he was born in Ireland where his skills as an illustrator were recognised while still a teenager. Consequently Thomson was trained by John Vinycomb, the head designer at Marcus Ward & Co., a prominent Belfast publishing house. He subsequently moved to England, working from 1883 for MacMillan & Co., illustrating all six of Jane Austen's novels and other literary classics. By 1900 he had become one of the most popular illustrators of his time. However, during the First World War there was less demand for his style of work and he took a job with the Board of Trade until his untimely death from heart disease.

First edition, second printing of the Peacock edition; 8vo (18.5 x 13 cm); frontispiece, title vignette and illustrations by Hugh Thomson, most illustrations hand-coloured by a proficient artist, some spotting to prelims and final pages, otherwise only the occasional minor spot or mark to margins, else internally very good; publisher's dark green cloth with the stunning gilt depiction of a peacock on an urn to upper cover and related gilt decoration to spine, all edges gilt, neat ownership inscription to endpaper, very slight signs of rubbing to extremities, else near-fine; [xxviii], 478pp.