DISRAELI, B. Coningsby; or, the New Generation. London: Henry Colburn, 1844.
Three vols., 8vo. Half blue calf over marbled boards; spine lettered in gilt to red morocco label, spine ruled in gilt; speckled edges; marbled endpapers; pp. iv, 319; [ii], 314; [ii], 350; slight discolouration to edges, with a small mark to outer edge of vol. III; ownership inscriptions in ink to titles; pencil inscriptions to Character Key in vol. I; a little spotting to endpapers; a very good set.
First edition. The first in a trilogy of novels, Coningsby explores a range of political and social issues of early 19th-century England, and works to unfold the ideological movement of a group of young aristocrats who were interested in social reform, who grouped themselves under the 'Young England' movement. The relationship between the aristocracy and the industrial working class is told through the experiences of the novel's protagonist, Harry Coningsby, who becomes entangled in the political realm. The exploration of the need for social reform works to characterise the sentiment of the time at the distaste for the urban Industrial society, and a want to return to a more idealised, harmonious one.
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