SCOTT, Walter, Sir (1771–1832). Ivanhoe; A Romance. Edinburgh: [James Ballantyne for] Archibald Constable and Co.; and Hurst, Robinson, and Co., 1820.
3 volumes, 8vo (202 x 121 mm). (Some spotting). Half–titles; 3pp. publisher’s ads at end of Vol. III. ORIGINAL ROSE CLOTH, UNCUT (rebacked with original spine laid down, new labels in morocco).
FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE of Scott’s great historical novel. Greville Worthington, in his bibliography of the Waverley novels, notes that there are two states of the first edition and provides a list of 14 points as follows: p. [iii] bears the forme–mark “9”; p. iv, line 6 the first word is “Peter”; p. v, line 12 the third word is “which”; p. v bears the forme–mark “6”; p. vi, line 14 the first word is “observed”; p. ix, line 1 there is no comma after “fought”; p. xii, line 5 there is no comma after “people”; p. xv, line 3 the sixth word is “toilsome”; p. xvi, line 20 the first word is “ton”; p. xvi there is no forme–mark; p. xix there is no forme–mark; p. xxiv there is no forme–mark; p. xxix, line 1 there is a comma after “paste” and p. xxx bears the forme–mark “12”. The present copy conforms with all these points except for Worthington’s third point: p. v, line 12 the second and fourth words are “which” and the third word is “works”.
Scott’s Ivanhoe is considered one of the most popular of all historical novels and one of the author’s most popular and influential Waverley novels that led to an early Victorian revival of interest in the Middle Ages together with the legends of Robin Hood and Richard the Lionheart. Ivanhoe was adapted into film nine times, beginning in 1913.
In the RARE ORIGINAL PUBLISHER’S BINDING. Grolier, One Hundred English 71; Worthington 8; Todd & Bowden 140Aa.