Thackeray: A Study 1895 First Edition – Jack – Victorian Literary Criticism
 
Title & Author
Thackeray: A Study
By Adolphus Alfred Jack
 
Publisher & Date
 
Macmillan & Co., London and New York, 1895
Printed by Richard Clay & Sons Ltd., London and Bungay.
 
This copy is a true first edition (1895) as indicated on the imprint pages and matching bibliographic records for the original publication.
 
Edition Information
 
First edition, 1895, a standalone critical study of William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863), one of the foremost novelists of the Victorian period.
 
Physical Details
 
Binding: Original blue cloth over boards.
Spine: Gilt lettering; cloth boards.
Endpapers: Coloured pastedowns and endpapers, typical for late-Victorian
Pages: 196 pages, including Addendum at the rear – all present
Paper: Victorian machine-made text stock with roughly cut edges, indicative of period production and untrimmed sewing.
Dimensions: Approx. 19.8 × 13.5 × 2.3 cm.
Weight: Approx. 352 g.
 
About the Book
 
Thackeray: A Study is a scholarly and contemporary critical appraisal of William Makepeace Thackeray’s life and work by Adolphus Alfred Jack, published only a few decades after Thackeray’s death. It covers key phases of Thackeray’s literary development, including:
Before Vanity Fair
The creation and impact of Vanity Fair
Pendennis and later works
Style and general characteristics
Chronological list of works
Addendum notes
 
The book reflects Victorian literary scholarship at its height and offers insight into how Thackeray was read by contemporaries and near-contemporaries. It is important historically because it predates much modern Thackeray scholarship and appears in institutional references.
 
About the Author
 
Adolphus Alfred Jack was a Victorian literary scholar noted for critical and biographical writings, including this major study of Thackeray. While not widely known today, his work appears in broader scholarship on Thackeray and is reissued in modern academic collections as part of comprehensive studies of the author. 
 
Condition Report
 
Exterior Condition
Cloth boards intact and stable
Light wear: soft bumping at corners, minor rubbing and discolouration, small marks
Tiny rip at the back board top edge (minor)
Gilt lettering still clear
 
Interior Condition
Pages overall very neat and clean for their age
Pages lightly tanned, typical of Victorian books
A little pencil mark on title page inner edge, together with a small patch of rubbing. Towards top and not affecting text
Only the very occasional small mark, not affecting text
Creasing on front pastedown, and only the very occasional other 
tiny crease or small edge nick, text unaffected
Binding tight and secure, no loose gatherings
No missing pages; all 196 pages present including the addendum.
 
Rarity & Market Context
 
Bibliographic Presence
Thackeray: A Study is cited in major academic collections and referenced in secondary scholarship collections devoted to Thackeray’s work and criticism, illustrating it’s considered part of historical Thackeray scholarship.
 
Reprints and Modern Availability
While modern paperback reprints exist, these are reproductions of the original text, not original 1895 editions. The presence of modern reprints underscores that the original edition itself is now a collectible Victorian work rather than a commonplace reading copy.
 
Rarity
Original 1895 cloth editions are comparatively scarce on the open market today. There are far fewer listings for original hardcover copies than for modern facsimiles or generic Victorian fiction, indicating lower market availability and greater relative rarity of first editions.
Because it’s a specialist literary criticism rather than a mass-market novel, it does not circulate as commonly as Thackeray’s novels, contributing to its collectible appeal when in good condition.
 
Final Collector’s Summary
 
A tidy original 1895 first edition of Thackeray: A Study by Adolphus Alfred Jack. This work occupies a unique place in Victorian literary criticism, bridging contemporary response and later academic study. In very good condition for its age, this copy offers gilt cloth binding, vivid coloured endpapers, and an early scholarly perspective on one of literature’s greatest 19th-century novelists.