Samuel Butler's Notebooks, Samuel Butler — 1st Edition Thus

£45.00

Samuel Butler's Notebooks, Samuel Butler — 1st Edition Thus

Name: Samuel Butler's Notebooks, Samuel Butler — 1st Edition Thus
Brand: Broadhursts Books
SKU: 5479
Price: 45.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

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Publication: London, Jonathan Cape, 1951

Formatting: 8vo, pp. 327.

Condition Report: Very Good. The original blue cloth boards remain remarkably vivid and unfaded, and the gilt titling to the spine is exceptionally bright and unoxidised. The binding is structurally sound, square, and tight, displaying virtually no shelf-wear to the extremities. Internally, the pages are crisp, bright, and free of extraneous markings. The unclipped dust-wrapper (priced 12s. 6d. net) exhibits typical age-toning, most pronounced across the spine and rear panel, which displays some mild soiling, alongside minor edge-wear and slight nicks at the spine head and tail, yet it remains fully intact and highly presentable.

Catalogue Note: This copy represents the first printing of Geoffrey Keynes and Brian Hill’s meticulously re-edited selection of Samuel Butler’s famous everyday thoughts. Butler’s original notes were first compiled and published posthumously by his friend Henry Festing Jones, with further extracts appearing decades later. The present volume provides a refined, amalgamated selection of the strongest entries from those previous collections, alongside a number of previously unpublished short passages not found in the original manuscript sources.

The text is unillustrated and is presented in the publisher's original cloth binding. While this title is generally common on the open market, it has become increasingly scarce to encounter a copy boasting such vividly bright cloth and pristine gilt tooling; the materials from this specific post-war period frequently suffer from heavy fading, oxidisation, or the total loss of their fragile original wrappers.

A fascinating and highly readable window into the mind of the iconoclastic Victorian author of Erewhon and The Way of All Flesh. Samuel Butler was a meticulous recorder of his own thoughts, and these commonplace notebooks capture his irreverent wit, profound observations, and philosophical musings on everything from art and literature to religion and science. Keynes and Hill's superb selection distils the very best of Butler's lifelong reflections into a single, indispensable volume, offering an intimate and entertaining portrait of one of the nineteenth century's most original and provocative thinkers.

Book Condition: Very Good

Book Authors: Samuel Butler

Book Publisher: Jonathan Cape

Book Language: English

Narrative Type: Non-Fiction

Genre: Criticism & Essays

Book edition: First Edition

Signed: No

Book Pages: 327

Book Publication Year: 1951

Book Publication Date:

Book Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: N/A

Book Series: N/A

Country/region of manufacture: Oxford, United Kingdom

Book Dimensions:

Book Condition Guide

We stock thousands of books in a wide range of conditions. To make things clear and to help you know exactly what to expect, Please refer to these condition categories to understand the condition of the book you will receive.

Condition	Description
New	A brand-new, unread and professionally handled book. Carefully preserved from publication to purchase, these books are offered in the best attainable condition. This grade applies to recently published titles that have not entered long-term storage.
As New	The book is in pristine, original condition as if just published. No signs of use or handling. The dust jacket (if present) is equally flawless. This grade applies to any book that has remained untouched in storage for years.
Fine	The book is close to As New. It remains bright and attractive, but could show minor imperfections to the boards and/or dust jacket (if present). Its pages are typically clean and unmarked.
Near Fine	The book has a number of small flaws, i.e. slight rubbing to the edges, or tiny chips or creases to the dust jacket (if present). Its pages may have faint marks, or creases that are barely perceptible — nothing that detracts from their overall condition.
Very Good	The book maintains its structural integrity, and has no major flaws such as tears to its binding or pages. It may, however, show signs of careful use, handling, or storage — small marks and creases, light foxing. Its dust jacket (if present) remains fully intact, but small tears may be present.
Good	A book that remains intact and readable with complete text pages, but shows moderate signs of wear and use to both the book and dust jacket (if present). It may have noticeable creases, nicks, or stains, and the spine likely shows fading, bumping, and rubbing. There could be writing, underlining, and other marks on some pages, though the majority will be clean and tidy.
Fair	A book with significant wear or damage. The text pages will be complete, but there may be heavy underlining, highlighting and staining throughout, and the book’s endpapers, half-title, and copyright pages could be damaged or missing. The binding could be loose, and the dust jacket (if present) may have notable scuffs or tears. These copies are usually of interest for content, signature(s) or scarcity.
Poor	A heavily worn book whose value lies in its complete and legible text. A poor book will have substantial defects — loose joints or hinges, detached covers, loose and/or missing pages, and could be heavily soiled. A poor book is also known as a reading copy, and although compromised, can hold historical or bibliographic significance.