8vo., First Edition, with a tinted lithographed frontispiece (skilfully mounted on pale cartridge) and 11 tinted lithographed plates; late-nineteenth century half calf, neatly rebacked with new endpapers to style, old blind-tooled backstrip laid down, original gilt-ruled morocco labels preserved (title-label with two gilt letters reinforced), sprinkled edges, an unusually bright, clean and carefully restored copy with virtually no trace of the usual foxing. The plates were engraved by M & N Hanhart from illustrations by Brandling. This is the scarce original edition of Collins' third book, following his biography of his father 'Memoirs of the Life of William Collins' (2v, 1848) and his first novel 'Antonina' (3v., 1850). It is arguably his best-remembered work, together with his two later novels 'The Woman in White' (1860) and 'The Moonstone' (1868). Very nice copy of an uncommon and notable account, and a mainstay of any Cornish collection. Sadleir, 'Excursions' p.137, gives the date of publication (from the Bentley Catalogue) as 30 January 1851; Anderson, p.70; CBEL III, p.481; Parrish, pp.14-16; Wolff, 1374.
