Waverly Novels [Series title]
Title
Waverly Novels [Series title]
Creator
Sir Walter Scott
Publisher
Edinburgh: Printed for Robert Cadell / London: Whittaker & Co.
Date
1830-1832
2nd series, Magnum Opus
Description
[With the exception of books in this set that someone added old library quality binding tape to, the example in the photographs is representative of the 23 volumes in our collection]:
Simultaneously published in Scotland and England these books are smaller than the first edition of the Magnum Opus, but were printed in the same volume order as the originals.
This 2nd series was first produced in 1830 in a half-bound format of thick diaper-patterned cloth over black goat-skin textured leather. Nearly invisible are the two very narrow blind stamped lines along the edge of the leather where the cloth starts. On the spine a simple gilt scroll has been stamped into the artificial raised bands. (The real sewing structure creates a bump on the front and back covers on some of the volumes and these bumps do not line up with the raised bands of the spines.) Simple gilt lines have been stamped at the top and bottom of the spine and the series title and volume number are gilt stamped in the second compartment.
The edges of the textblock were dipped into a marbling solution that very closely matches the marbled endpaper design. This stone, almost shell pattern is in two shades of teal, red, yellow, black, and white. Although the book is made of rag paper it looks a little bit like wood pulp paper but lacks the tell-tale acidic "old book smell."
The frontispiece and vignette on the title page are the only illustrations in the book and given the tightness of the lines and density of the composition, they are likely to have been cut on new technology, steel-plates. There is off-bleeding from both these images backwards and forwards to pages nearby.
_______________________________________
Simultaneously published in Scotland and England these books are smaller than the first edition of the Magnum Opus, but were printed in the same volume order as the originals.
This 2nd series was first produced in 1830 in a half-bound format of thick diaper-patterned cloth over black goat-skin textured leather. Nearly invisible are the two very narrow blind stamped lines along the edge of the leather where the cloth starts. On the spine a simple gilt scroll has been stamped into the artificial raised bands. (The real sewing structure creates a bump on the front and back covers on some of the volumes and these bumps do not line up with the raised bands of the spines.) Simple gilt lines have been stamped at the top and bottom of the spine and the series title and volume number are gilt stamped in the second compartment.
The edges of the textblock were dipped into a marbling solution that very closely matches the marbled endpaper design. This stone, almost shell pattern is in two shades of teal, red, yellow, black, and white. Although the book is made of rag paper it looks a little bit like wood pulp paper but lacks the tell-tale acidic "old book smell."
The frontispiece and vignette on the title page are the only illustrations in the book and given the tightness of the lines and density of the composition, they are likely to have been cut on new technology, steel-plates. There is off-bleeding from both these images backwards and forwards to pages nearby.
_______________________________________
Sir Walter Scott is famous for his historical novels, usually set in Scotland, but his most widely read book today, Ivanhoe, is set in Medieval England at the time of King Richard the Lionheart. Scott is considered the father of the historical novel. Although Scott is known for duing historial research for his novels, he was not always accurate.
In 1826 there was a financial collapse in the book world and Sir Walter found himself in debt becuase he was a large investor in his own publisher's business. He "wrote" himself out of debt by creating the Magnum Opus of all his previous writings (48 volumes) to which he added extensive annotations and historical background ("illustrations') for the plot of each novel. His phenomenal effort was succesful, but destroyed his health and led to his death in 1832 before he had completed the last nine volumes. His son-in-law and biographer, J.G. Lockhart took Scott's notes and completed the series.
This set is the 2nd series first published in 1830 after it became clear the original publication run and size was immensely popular with the public. The 2nd series differs from the 1st edition by being printed in a slightly smaller size.
Scott lived from 1771-1832.
In 1826 there was a financial collapse in the book world and Sir Walter found himself in debt becuase he was a large investor in his own publisher's business. He "wrote" himself out of debt by creating the Magnum Opus of all his previous writings (48 volumes) to which he added extensive annotations and historical background ("illustrations') for the plot of each novel. His phenomenal effort was succesful, but destroyed his health and led to his death in 1832 before he had completed the last nine volumes. His son-in-law and biographer, J.G. Lockhart took Scott's notes and completed the series.
This set is the 2nd series first published in 1830 after it became clear the original publication run and size was immensely popular with the public. The 2nd series differs from the 1st edition by being printed in a slightly smaller size.
Scott lived from 1771-1832.
Subject
Literature
Identifier
SPECIAL PR5315 1830 v.1-23
Format
Hardcover books, 6.5 x 4.5 inches
Language
English
Relation
This book can be seen in the photograph, Display Case 3.
Original Format
Book
Collection
Citation
Sir Walter Scott, “Waverly Novels [Series title],” Beautiful Books in Flagler College's Special Collections, accessed May 15, 2024, https://beautifulbooks.omeka.net/items/show/136.