1854 Whims and Oddities by Thomas Hood — Illustrated Edition, Edward Moxon
 
Description & Bibliographic Details
 
Whims and Oddities, in Prose and Verse – New Edition, 1854.
Publisher: Edward Moxon, Dover Street, London.
Printer: Bradbury & Evans, Whitefriars, London.
Illustrations: 87 original designs by Hood, including illustrated title page.
Binding: Green cloth boards, embossed decorations and panelled spine with gilt titles.
Pagination: viii + 310 pages of main text. Front catalogue: 6 pp (Originally 8 and 2 missing). Rear catalogue leaf present.
Size: approx. 17.8 × 11.4 × 2.7 cm. Weight: ~355 g.
 
Condition (Exterior / Interior)
 
Exterior:
Cloth binding intact, boards firm and sound.
Just light wear consistent with age: soft corner bumping, mild fading of cloth edges.
Spine gilt still legible, minimal loss.
 
Interior:
Pages clean, bright for age, predominantly uncreased.
Yellow endpapers and pastedowns; top edge of pages tinted black.
No pen or pencil inscriptions.
Only very occasional small marks – not obscuring text.
Bookseller’s blind-embossed stamp: W. H. Smith & Son, 186 Strand, London on front free endpaper.
Edges of pages have foxing (visible when closed).
Page edges roughly cut - some small rips at margins from cutting, but text unaffected.
Binding tight and secure.
All main text pages present.
Front catalogue has missing first two pages; rear catalogue leaf is present.
 
Illustrations & Features
 
The 87 original designs by Hood are a major feature. The illustrated title page is particularly notable. These images are integral to the charm and value of this edition.
 
About the Author

Thomas Hood (1799–1845) was an English poet, humourist, and illustrator celebrated for his wit, satirical verse, and inventive wordplay. His works, often blending prose and verse, secured his place as one of the most distinctive literary voices of the early Victorian period. Whims and Oddities showcases Hood’s own designs and remains one of his most admired illustrated works.