Thérèse, François Mauriac — 1st Edition

Name: Thérèse, François Mauriac — 1st Edition
Brand: Broadhursts Books
SKU: 4246
Price: 16.50 GBP
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Publication: London, Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1947.

Formatting: 8vo, pp. [iv], 338.

Condition Report: Good. Bound in the publisher's original plum cloth, the boards remain relatively vibrant but display gentle rubbing to the extremities and a slight outward bowing. The silver-stamped text and decorative tooling on the front panel remain bright and largely unoxidised. The spine shows minor wear at the head and tail. The most pronounced defect is the foxing across the top, fore, and bottom edges of the text block, which moderately encroaches into the margins of the preliminary leaves; this is a common consequence of the acidic, post-war economy paper stock utilised for this edition. Internally free of structural damage or previous ownership signatures. Lacks the original dust jacket.

Catalogue Note: First English edition, first issue, of Gerard Hopkins' acclaimed translation of Mauriac's definitive works on his most famous heroine. A crucial bibliographical identifier for this true first issue is the entirely blank cloth spine; later issues and subsequent editions corrected this anomaly to include standard author and title stamping.

Printed in 1947, the copyright page explicitly notes the book's production "in complete conformity with the authorised economy standards," an austere post-war British printing measure utilising thinner, heavily wood-pulped paper, which accounts for the surviving copies' typical age-toning and foxing. The omnibus uniquely collects the foundational novel Thérèse Desqueyroux alongside two bridging short stories (Thérèse chez le docteur and Thérèse à l'hôtel from Plongées) and the concluding novel La fin de la nuit. Early true first issues featuring the blank spine anomaly are scarce on the open antiquarian market.

François Mauriac's profound psychological depth is fully realized in Thérèse, a masterful, brooding exploration of spiritual isolation, desperation, and the complex mechanics of grace and sin. Set against the suffocating heat and oppressive pine forests of the French Landes region, the narrative intimately follows Thérèse Desqueyroux, a brilliantly tormented, unhappily married woman driven to the attempted murder of her husband. This comprehensive volume unites the original, acclaimed novel with two interstitial short stories and her ultimate conclusion in La Fin de la Nuit, presenting the complete, haunting trajectory of Mauriac's greatest protagonist to the English-speaking world for the first time

Book Condition: Good

Book Authors: François Mauriac

Book Publisher: Eyre and Spottiswoode

Book Language: English

Narrative Type: Fiction

Genre: Classic Fiction

Book edition: First Edition and First Published

Signed: No

Book Pages: 338

Book Publication Year: 1947

Book Publication Date:

Book Binding: Cloth

Illustrator: N/A

Book Series: N/A

Country/region of manufacture: London, 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.