In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original French title.

The book : Nice and rare complete edition of Les Misérables - a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.

Illustrations : Including full page illustrations. Publisher : New York, George Routledge and Sons, no date (circa 1885)īinding : Attractive and very good, near fine, full decorated cloth binding (hinges fine, overall slightly worn and scuffed) under a protective removable mylar cover.Ĭontent : Good to very good content (bright and tight, rare foxing mainly on title page and last page - as shown, Ink gift note dated 1885 on front flyleaf). Title : Les Miserables: Complete in One Volume. The intense advertising campaign waged by Carleton resulted in massive sales for Les Misérables, solidifying Hugo's epic in second place (behind only Uncle Tom's Cabin) in pre-Civil War American book sales.Author : Hugo, Victor (Preface signed : Lascelles Wraxall). Wilbour was hired by the Carleton Publishing Company to translate Hugo's grand masterpiece, and he did so very quickly, allowing the first American edition to be published within months of its French release. It anticipates Balzac in its realism, but in its flights of imagination and lyricism, its theme of redemption, and its melding of myth and history, it is uniquely Hugo” (Dolbow, 149, 214). Despite its length, complexity, and occasionally unbelievable plot and characterization, it remains a masterpiece of popular literature. Victor Hugo’s “great novel has been hailed as a masterpiece of popular literature, an epic poem in prose about God, humanity, and Hugo… Hugo hoped that Les Misérables would be one of if not the ‘principal summits’ of his body of works. False mention of “Septième Edition” on the title pages of volumes I-III, and “Huitième Edition” on the title page of volume IV, which were spurious and meant to help boost sales. Large octavos, half crushed red morocco over marbled boards, gilt titles and tooling to the spine, marbled endpapers. Parisian first edition of this classic work of literature, published on April 3rd, 1862 (three days after of first printing in Brussels on March 31st of 1862).

Les miserables first edition