Collins, Wilkie

De Omnibus Quaeque. A Collection of Standard Works

George Munro, 1870's. Hard Cover. Folio. A RARE compilation of 13 stories by Wilkie Collins as they were published by the Seaside Library. The Seaside Library was the most successful venture of George Munro, a major publisher of cheap editions of English classics and popular fiction. Included in this collection are Collins’s most famous works, The Moonstone and The Woman in White, as well as such titles as Hide-and-Seek, Armadale, Man and Wife, and The New Magdalene. The Moonstone is copiously illustrated and there are several illustrations for The Woman in White. The other tales only have an illustration on their first page. The issues are bound in three-quarter leather backed marbled paper covered boards with gilt title to spine. Top portion of both outer joints are cracked. Heavy chipping to leather on spine including a 1 inch loss to head of spine and chipping to the second compartment. Minor scuffing to boards and wear to corners and edges. Foxing throughout interior, though it remains mostly in the margins and is fairly light in color. The text is printed in three columns per page, and remains clear and legible despite foxing. Bookplate on front pastedown. Light musty smell that does not detract. Several hundred pages. LIT/072406. Very Good Minus.