"IN ART, IN TASTE, IN LIFE, IN SPEECH, YOU DECIDE FROM FEELING, AND NOT FROM REASON": WILLIAM HAZLITT'S TABLE-TALK, 1824, HANDSOMELY BOUND

HAZLITT, William. Table-Talk; or, Original Essays on Men and Manners. London: Printed for Henry Colburn, 1824. Two volumes. Octavo, late 19th-century three-quarter brown calf, elaborately gilt-decorated spines, raised bands, brown and red morocco spine labels, marbled boards, endpapers, and edges. $500.

Second edition of this popular 19th-century essay collection, handsomely bound.

Written by British author and critic William Hazlitt, this collection of essays concerns topics of general interest such as human thought; individual character; the arts (Milton, Poussin, etc.); and social behaviors and expectations. While contemporary reviews often criticized the exorbitant price of the two-volumes work, modern reviewers have been more likely to remark on the quality of Hazlitt's essays. British academic Duncan Wu described Table-Talk as the "pinnacle of [Hazlitt's] achievement." The first edition was published in 1821. Owner gift inscription from Ellis L. Orvis, a well-known Pennsylvania judge and Penn State trustee.

Only occasional foxing to interiors, light wear to bindings. A handsome copy.