FRANKLIN LIBRARY LEATHER Great Expectations DICKENS

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FRANKLIN LIBRARY GREAT EXPECTATIONS CHARLES DICKENS With the illustrations of F. W. Pailthrope Beautiful Topgrain Leather Limited Edition FROM "THE OXFORD LIBRARY OF THE WORLD'S GREAT BOOKS" COLLECTION, PUBLISHED IN CONCERT WITH THE OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS In the constellation of brilliant Victorian novelists, it is generally agreed that Charles Dickens is the brightest star. Dickens was the quintessential Victorian writer, capturing in the textures and variety of his language and plots the rich vitality of the times. When he wrote Great Expectations in 1860, he was an idolized figure who had 25 years of almost uninterrupted literary triumph. Until our own times the sale of his books was exceeded only by those of Shakespeare and the Bible. Great Expectations is the most nearly perfect of Dickens’ many novels. It comes closest to achieving the sort of formal demands that Gustave Flaubert and Henry James made of the novelist. It weaves together the kind of humorous passages that earned Dickens his place as a master of comedy, and the kind of serious look at his society that made him an influential force for reform in his day. He examines the harmful effects on young people of a society that nurtures no greater expectations than to inherit wealth and retire to a life of idleness. It is the narrative of the young Pip’s sudden rise to wealth, his sudden descent and the transformation of his character on the journey. Dickens also used Pip’s story to join his social concerns to an exploration of his own early years and their influence on his later life. Great Expectations is a novel that will cause you to laugh, and probably cry, as you make or renew your acquaintance with one of the most popular authors the world has even known – the inimitable Charles Dickens. Tolstoy once said, "All his (Dickens') characters are my personal friends. I am constantly comparing them with living persons, and living persons with them. And what a SPIRIT t was in all he wrote." Thackeray, with whom Dickens had carried on a famous and lengthy dispute, read David Copperfield and exclaimed, "Who can rival this great genius!" To Dickens, his characters were alive. He wrote: If you want your public to believe in what you write, you must believe in it yourself. So real are my characters to me that on one occasion I have fixed upon the course one of them was to pursue. The character, however, got hold of me and made me do exactly the opposite of what I had intended; but I was so sure that he was right and I was wrong that I let him have his own way. Dickens died in June, 1870. He is buried in Westminster Abbey . This beautiful book features: Topgrain Full Tooled Leather Dark Blue Binding Hubbed Tooled Leather Spine Lovely Navy Blue satin bookmark, sewn in Elaborate 22-karat gold lettering and ornamentation on the spine, front and back boards and inside cover edges Gilding on all page edges, to protect against dust and moisture Gorgeous color coordinated marbled end papers Beautifully reproduced illustrations Acid neutral archival paper, designed to last generations without discoloring or degrading Acid-free leaves Smyth-sewn for longevity, durability and readability FINE Exterior Condition FINE Interior Condition 526 Pages This is the Franklin Library at its best - simply superb quality. T are no previous owner's bookplates, names, marks or writing of any kind. The corners and edges are sharp, and the gilt is very bright and clean and almost new with extremely minor imperfections. The bindings are square and tight, with clean covers and crisp white pages. This book has never been read, or even fully opened. It looks and smells new, and is certainly the most beautiful edition of Great Expectations published by the Franklin Library. THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL LIMITED EDITION OF ONE OF THE GREATEST NOVELS EVER WRITTEN IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, CHARLES DICKENS' GREAT EXPECTATIONS <... read more

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