Pride and Prejudice. Illustrated by Hugh Thomson. With a Preface by George Saintsbury. London: George Allen, 1894. First Edition, First Issue. Pp xxvii, 476, top edge in gilt, others uncut. Publisher’s green cloth boards with spectacular gilt peacock design to upper board and spine. A near fine bright copy, housed in matching solander box.

The first illustrated edition of Jane Austen’s classic romantic novel in the spectacular peacock binding.

Hugh Thompson was an Irish Illustrator born at Coleraine near Derry. He created 160 line drawings to produce this the first and still finest illustrated edition of Austen’s second novel. The George Allen editions, published between 1894 and1906 are the most desirable copies of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ published other than the original edition of 1813.

The success of Allen’s ” Peacock Edition ” launched Thompson’s career as a first class and prominent illustrator who is best known for his pen-and-ink illustrations of works by Charles Dickens and J. M. Barrie among others.