Apologies for the mono voice over; I made a mistake in mixing the audio for this video. Also, I said that the illustrations are woodcuts, but they're wood engravings.
I agree the quality of the set is lacking in many ways, but I really love the illustrations, I find them powerful. The Bronte sisters are fascinating. To think that three sisters, living how they lived, and dying so early, put their names among the greatest writers... is mind blowing. And all their books, despite having flaws, are surprisingly daring for their time and religious background. One of the things I would love the most is a complete set with all Bronte books. I have seen some vintage collections but they are out of my league lol
I agree on all these points. In particular, if I were starting again from scratch to buy an edition of these two books, I think I'd still choose the 1943 edition; Eichenberg is just that good.
I wish George Macy of the Limited Editions Club had approached Eichenberg about illustrating some Bronte books. We would’ve had the incredible illustrations Eichenberg produced but with higher production quality than this random house edition. I have seen this set in a few stores but it has always been in dreadful condition so I have not been able to purchase it yet, even though the illustrations are so well done. Hope I stumble upon a fine copy soon. Thanks for sharing this video!
No, it's not rare at all. In fact, these were mass-market books so there are plenty of them around. The main things to bear in mind are (i) that they are now almost 80 years old so it might take some searching to find some in nice condition, and (ii) it will be harder to find them in some countries than others. I imported my copies from a US eBay seller to the UK, for example.
Actually not bad for a 'mediocre' mass market edition, with sewn binding, and it still looks pretty good today. Compare the time bomb that are Penguin Classics. I have the Everyman's Library editions, which are well made, at a very reasonable price.
Yes, I agree completely. These "mediocre" editions of yesteryear are still more than a match for some of the shoddy modern publishing we put up with. But I believe that if it weren't for the Eichenberg etchings, nobody would be buying this old edition; something like Everyman's or Folio Society would both be better choices and I'd be very satisfied with either. But I couldn't resist those Eichenbergs! Thanks for commenting!
