WRITTEN BY A ‘LADY’ - The History of Lucy Wellers

Two 12 mo volumes in fair condition only. Half bindings of calf over paper covered boards. Both worn particularly to corners. Spine panels in five compartments, lettered and numbered in gilt over darker brown calf. Volume 1 inscribed to front free endpaper with the ownership signature of ‘Mary French of Ticehurst, Sussex.’ Lucy Wellers’ is inscribed three times in a contemporary hand to front and rear paste downs. Vol I title page is cleanly torn, lacking bottom 2 cm. Leaves age toned, occasionally lightly annotated throughout. Text block is shaken. Front half of volume cracking over gutter particularly to tail revealing binding beneath. Text block edges puckered. p.73 loose, but otherwise volume holding well. p. 57 numbered as 75 noted on collation. 256 pp. collated and complete.

Volume 2 inscribed to front free endpaper with the ownership signature of Mary French of Ticehurst, Sussex. Bottom 3 cm of spine tail worn exposing binding beneath. Tip of spine frayed. Paste downs and title page age toned, otherwise clean and unmarked. pp.1 has pasted in a piece of paper with a contemporary handwritten date of 1819 above ‘History of Lucy Weller’. Text block is shaken, cracking overs gutters throughout. Several leaves are loose. Missing are: pp.24, 25, 121,122, 141, 142, 143, 144 and 145. Partial loss to small sections of pp.19, 23, 71 and 97 noted on collation. 316 pp.