Charlie Asgarde: The Story of a Friendship

London: Macmillan and Co, 1884. Hardcover. Very Good. Cover image by Hugh Thomson. Hardcover, full green cloth with black spine and cover images and gilt lettering, Macmillan emblem stamped in black on rear cover, black clay-coated endpapers, 7-3/8" tall, 265 pp. + publisher's ads, illustrated with 12 plates by Hugh Thomson (the frontispiece is incorrectly listed in the List of Illustrations as appearing at p. 201.) Tips and spine ends slightly turned in and rubbed, a few blisters to the cloth, one of which appears on the chest of the rightmost figure and which has caused moderate rubbing at that point, owner's inscription to reverse of free front endpaper. The first book illustrated by Hugh Thomson. His style this early in his career is much closer to Randolph Caldecott and magazine work than to his own later "Cranford School" style. This book marks a key first appearance not only in publishers' bindings but also in book illustration. Rarely found in such beautiful condition.