Novels of the Sisters Bronte: Thornton Edition [12 Volumes]
Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë, Novels of the Sisters Bronte, Edinburgh: John Grant, 1911; Thornton Edition, 12 Volumes
Anne Brontë, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall: Volume I, frontispiece + 354 pages
Anne Brontë, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall: Volume II, frontispiece + 348 pages
Anne Brontë, Agnes Grey: With a Memoir of Her Sisters by Charlotte Bronte, frontispiece + 302 pages
Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights, xv + 500 pages
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre: Volume I, frontispiece + 405 pages
Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre: Volume II, frontispiece + 372 pages
Charlotte Brontë, Shirley: Volume I, frontispiece + 458 pages
Charlotte Brontë, Shirley: Volume II, frontispiece + 471 pages
Charlotte Brontë, Villette: Volume I, frontispiece + 406 pages
Charlotte Brontë, Villette: Volume II, frontispiece + 406 pages
Charlotte Brontë, The Professor, frontispiece + 378 pages
E C Gaskell with introduction and notes by Temple Scott and B W Willett, The Life of Charlotte Brontë, xviii + 526 pages including frontispiece and 24 black and white plates
Original green cloth, spines lettered in gilt with floral symbols; top edges gilt, others untrimmed; the half-title and title pages printed in red & black (each)
8.25 x 5.25 in (20.9 x 13.5 cm) (each)
Edited by Temple Scott an exceptionally good set of one of the best regarded sets of Bronte's works.
The Thornton Edition was first published in 1905, named for the village on the outskirts of Bradford, West Yorkshire, best known as being the birthplace of the Brontës. The moorlands of that area "had a profound influence on the writing of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte...at their home the children created a rich imaginary world. Any books that came their way were eagerly devoured, and they produced their own books as well" (Bronte Society). As the sisters rose to adulthood, their novels began to focus on the complex emotional lives of women from all walks of life -- from orphans to governesses to heirs -- but with the greatest emphasis on those whose educations and livelihoods most reflected their own. With clear-sightedness, they used their knowledge of gendered, economic, and social constraints to develop their best material. Again, the moorlands of their upbringing affected their writing. Anne's work was like a still day before a storm. And "if Charlotte's novels keep up a stiff wind, Emily's one novel is a thunderstorm. Their characters...have such a gust of life that they transcend reality" (Dean). Publishing under gender neutral pseudonyms of Currer Bell, Ellis Bell, and Acton Bell, the three talented authors were able to release their works to the public without the kind of criticism that fell on women of the time. It was with the publication of Anne's second novel, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, that the women were forced to reveal their true identities when an unscrupulous publisher attempted to use Currer Bell's name to sell another, less successful author's works. The literary fame that came with the Brontes' revelation led only to a short-lived happiness, as all three died at early ages" (Source: Brontë Society).
NON-EXPORTABLE
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