Victor Hugo; William Moy Thomas [trans.] — Toilers of the Sea

London, George Routledge and Sons, c1890. Hardback. The Routledge Railway Library edition of this lesser known Victor Hugo novel, set on the Isle of Guernsey. A very scarce edition of this English language translation of the Victor Hugo novel, first published in 1866, dealing with the impact of the Industrial Revolution upon the Isle of Guernsey, where the author spent fifteen years in exile.This is from Routledge's Railway Library, a popular and inexpensive reprint series designed to be sold to travellers on the fast growing Victoria railway network, sold through W. H. Smith's stalls on station platforms. Over a period of 50 years 1,277 books were published in this series. Most books were published as pictorial hardbacks, often in the recognisable 'yellowback' format.Featuring contemporary advertisements to both pastedowns and free endpapers, and a further advertisement to the rear board.This work has been dated c1890 via the publisher's advertisements. In the publishers original pictorial paper covered boards. Bumping to extremities and spine head and tail. Some light wear to tail of front and rear joints. There is a crack down the centre of the the rear board. Internally, a little tightly bound. Pages are bright and clean. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .