Description
First edition of Tylney Hall by Thomas Hood, published in 1834, with the bookplate of the notorious Harry Buxton Forman.
Octavo, [three volumes], xx, 288pp; [1], 311pp; [1], 308pp, [4pp ads]. Publisher’s paper boards, title on label affixed to spine. Solid text blocks, free or marks or notations. All three spines with notable wear, partial loss of title, all stable. Includes the bookplate of Harry Buxton Forman, the notable antiquarian bookseller and forger of Georgian and Victorian first editions. This copy was sold at his estate sale at Anderson Galleries, New York, August, 1920, lot 446.
Tylney Hall by Thomas Hood is one of the earliest English works to feature black characters in a historical drama, in positive roles. This work was published in 1834, the same year that slavery was abolished in the United Kingdom. Thomas Hood (1799-1845) was an English poet and humorist, best known for his works “The Bridge of Sighs” and “The Song of the Shirt.”