1901 Rare Book- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and Hugh Thomson
Author: Jane Austen. Illustrated by Hugh Thomson.
Title: Sense and Sensibility.
Publisher: London, Macmillan and Co., Limited; New York, The Macmillan Company, 1901.
Language: Text in English.
Size: 7.5 x 5 inches.
Pages: xvi-341 pages + publisher's catalogue.
Binding: Attractive and very good original publisher’s decorative reddish-pink cloth, richly stamped in black to the upper board and spine with an Art Nouveau floral design, gilt lettering to the upper board and spine (hinges fine, overall slightly worn, sunned and scuffed - as shown) under a protective removable mylar cover. All edges gilt. A very attractive example of Macmillan’s illustrated Austen series.
Content: Very good content (bright, tight and clean, rare light foxing or staining - as shown, foxing is mainly confined to the front and rear endpapers - as shown, additionally, a localized area of foxing / light staining is present in the outer margins of pages 300 and 301, without affecting the text or surrounding pages - as shown). Internally complete and sound.
Illustrations: Complete with all full-page illustrations by Hugh Thomson. All illustrations present and well printed.
Estimate: (USD 350–550).
The book: This 1901 Macmillan edition of Sense and Sensibility represents one of the most celebrated illustrated interpretations of Jane Austen’s work. Issued as part of Macmillan’s illustrated standard novels, it combines Austen’s refined social comedy with the distinctive visual style of Hugh Thomson, whose drawings helped define the late-Victorian and Edwardian reception of Austen.
Thomson’s illustrations capture the wit, intimacy, and emotional nuance of the novel, depicting domestic interiors, social encounters, and character interactions with remarkable sensitivity and charm. The decorative cloth binding, with its flowing Art Nouveau motifs, reflects the period’s aesthetic ambitions and elevates the volume well beyond a simple reading copy.
The author: Jane Austen (1775–1817) remains one of the most influential novelists in English literature. Sense and Sensibility, her first published novel, explores the balance between reason and emotion through the contrasting temperaments of the Dashwood sisters. Austen’s precise social observation, moral intelligence, and enduring narrative voice continue to resonate with readers more than two centuries after publication.
The illustrator: Hugh Thomson (1860–1920) was among the most important illustrators of English literature at the turn of the 20th century. His work on Austen’s novels is especially admired for its elegance, humor, and deep understanding of character. Thomson’s illustrations for Sense and Sensibility are widely regarded as some of the finest visual interpretations of Austen’s world, contributing significantly to the book’s lasting appeal among collectors.