Realities of Irish Life.

TRENCH, Steuart (1808-1872), [TRENCH, J. Townsend, illustrator].

London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1868. [Irish Biography]. FIRST EDITION. Octavo (22 x 15cm), pp.[2] xiv; 407 [3]. With 30 etched plates including a frontispiece after drawings by Trench's son, and a very large folding coloured map of Ireland. In contemporary burgundy half calf with raised bands, gilt titles to green label and further gilt decoration to spine. Boards, endpapers and all edges marbled. Map heavily torn in the usual places near the join to the binding, with some associated tape marks. Rubbing to fore-edges and joints, with a recent repair to the upper joint. Moderate outer wear. Good. Described as the 'Irish Dickens' by the Edinburgh Review, Trench was a charismatic land agent who began his career before the Great Famine, and was then in a unique position to observe its effects on the rural populations he managed. At the end of his career the memoirs he published here and in 'Sketches of Life and Character in Ireland' (1872) were extremely popular, with this book going through five editions in one year. Item #49799

Price: £350.00