COLLINS, WILKIE — Armadale a Novel
New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, 1866. 1st American Edition; 1st Printing. Hardcover. B&W Illustrations; This is the First American Edition. Large octavo, pp. [i-vii] viii [9] 10-320, text printed in double columns, wood engravings throughout by George H. Thomas. The book is in Very Good condition and is lacking a dust jacket. The spine ends and corners of the book covers have some light bumping and rubbing. There are several small chips to the bottom spine end of the book cover. The top rear spine joint has a small tear. The text pages are generally clean and bright. There are several penciled names to the front endpapers, and the endpapers and free pages have noticeable toning. Page 103 / 104 has a long tear that has been repaired. (Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 409.) "According to biographer Melisa Klimaszewski, "The novels Collins published in the 1860s are the best and most enduring of his career. The Woman in White, No Name, Armadale, and The Moonstone, written in less than a decade, show Collins not just as a master of his craft, but as an innovator and provocateur. These four works, which secured him an international reputation, and sold in large numbers, ensured his financial stability, and allowed him to support many others". The Woman in White was serialised in All the Year Round from November 1859 to August 1860 and was a great success. The novel was published in book form soon after serial publication ended, and it reached an eighth edition by November 1860. His increased stature as a writer made Collins resign his position with All the Year Round in 1862 to focus on novel writing." (from Wikipedia). Very Good .
