HARDY, Thomas (1840-1928). A Pair of Blue Eyes. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1873.

3 volumes, 8vo. Half-titles; without publisher's catalogue (as often, Purdy suggesting "that the binder's supply was soon exhausted.") Half contemporary red morocco gilt, marbled sides, top edge gilt, stamp-signed by Stikeman and Co.; with original blue cloth [Carter's binding C] bound in. Provenance: John F. Talmage (armorial bookplates, his sale, Anderson Galleries, 27 April 1932, lot 143).

FIRST EDITION IN BOOK FORM, LIMITED ISSUE, presumably one of only 500 copies, and the first of the author's works to use his name. According to Purdy, this blue cloth is a secondary binding that may date from the dispersal of Tinsley's stock after the firm's failure in August 1878. The primary binding is green cloth with a similar pattern to that of Under the Greenwood Tree. Carter, Binding Variants, p.9; Purdy, pp.9-13; Sadleir 1112; Wolff 2986.