The Newcomes.

A wonderful, tree calf bound edition of Thackeray's seminal novel.

Chris Hammond, whose drawings perfectly complement Thackeray's prose, was a member of the Cranford School of illustration, defined by their rejection of the dominant, Aubrey Beardsley inspired drawings of the 1890s. As exemplified by Hammond's gorgeous illustrations in this edition, they favoured a nostalgic, delicate realism that in many ways called back to the eighteenth century. A fine copy.

8vo (19 x 13 cm); black and white frontispiece illustration with sixteen further illustrations by Chris Hammond in black and white, prize bookplate to front pastedown, light spotting to prelims and some throughout on page edges, otherwise fine internal condition; full tree calf with ecclesiastical armorial in gilt to upper board, gilt rolls to borders and edges, spine elaborately decorated in gilt in six compartments, contrasting gilt letter-piece on red morocco panel, small hole to lower board, upper board slightly warped, some bumping to extremities, marbled edges and endpapers, very good; 649 pp.