Trilby By George Du Maurier 1895 First Illustrated British Edition Neat Copy
 
Trilby George Du Maurier 1895 British Illustrated Trade Edition. A superior condition Victorian classic with 121 author illustrations, bright clean pages.
 
Title & Bibliographic Details
Title: Trilby – A Novel
Author: George Du Maurier
Date: 1895
Edition Statement: First British Illustrated Trade Edition
Publisher: Osgood, McIlvaine & Co., 45 Albemarle Street, London
Printer: R. & R. Clark, Limited, Edinburgh
Pagination: x + 447 + publisher’s catalogue at rear
 
This edition is distinguished by 121 illustrations by the author, including a frontispiece with protective tissue guard and an illustrated title page, features that define the first illustrated British trade edition. 
 
Literary & Historical Context
Trilby was one of the most talked-about novels of the late Victorian era and became a cultural sensation, giving rise to the phrase “Trilby-mania” shortly after publication. Its memorable characters, especially Svengali, whose name entered the English language as a term for a manipulative influence, secured the novel’s lasting impact on popular culture. 
Originally serialised in Harper’s Monthly Magazine in 1894 and published in book form in the United States the same year, this 1895 London edition issued by Osgood, McIlvaine & Co. is the definitive British illustrated trade edition, celebrated for its extensive author drawings. 
 
About the Author
George Du Maurier (1834–1896) was an influential Franco-British artist, cartoonist, and novelist, best known today for Trilby. Before turning to fiction, Du Maurier gained fame as a caricaturist for Punch magazine, and his artistic sensibility deeply informs the characterful illustrations in this edition.
 
Illustrations & Plates
This edition features 121 illustrations by Du Maurier, integrated throughout the text, including:
• Frontispiece (with original tissue guard)
• Illustrated title page
• Full-page and in-text drawings that reflect the tone, humour, and bohemian Paris setting of the novel
These illustrations are one of the primary reasons this edition is particularly sought after by collectors and literary enthusiasts. 
 
Binding & Exterior Description
Bound in dark blue cloth with gilt illustration on the front cover and gilt lettering to spine and front.
• No dust jacket (as is typical for the period)
• Binding intact, robust, and visually appealing
• Light edge rubbing and tiny marks consistent with age
• Light creasing at the top and bottom of the spine
The cloth retains its colour and gilt well, presenting attractively on shelf.
 
Interior Condition
• Dark pastedowns and endpapers
• Gilt top edge
• Historical small sticker on the front pastedown for "H. Gibson & Co., 17 Long Row, Nottingham" and remnants of pencil on one of the front flyleaf pages.
• Pages bright and clean for age, with just very gentle tanning.
• Very occasional tiny edge rips, mostly from cutting, not obscuring text or illustrations and a very small rip at the inner margin of the back pastedown
• Small patches of rubbing to endpapers and inner margin near p.1 (not affecting text)
• Minor gutter cracks at front pastedown-endpaper junction, and a very light crack between a few pages
• All pages secure
Everything is intact, predominantly uncreased and very neat for a Victorian illustrated trade edition of this type.
 
Physical Details
Size: approx. 19.8 × 15 × 3.6 cm
Weight: approx. 861 g
Collation: x + 447 pages + publisher’s catalogue at rear
 
Rarity & Collector Notes
Although Trilby was immensely popular in its time and remains reasonably common in later printings, this 1895 British illustrated trade edition with all 121 illustrations by Du Maurier is less frequently encountered complete and in superior condition, especially with bright pages and strong binding. 
Collector interest for this edition derives from:
• Its place as the first illustrated British trade edition in the standard trade format
• The abundant and characteristic illustrations by Du Maurier himself
• Its status as a cultural touchstone of late Victorian literature
This is an overall well-preserved copy.