[Brontë, Emily and Anne Brontë.]

8vo (190 x 115mm.), 3 volumes, first edition, without the advertisements at the end of volume 3, nineteenth-century half calf, marbled boards, edges and endpapers, spines in six compartments decorated in gilt with red morocco labels lettered in gilt, preserved in folding brown cloth case and matching brown quarter morocco slipcase, some minor browning and spotting to early and late leaves, hinges repaired, spine labels renewed

John Micklethwait, Taverham Hall, ownership signatures on front endpapers; H. Bradley Martin, sale of Highly Important English Literature from his library, Sotheby's New York, 30 April and 1 May 1990, lot 2659

Revd. John Nathaniel Micklethwait, a retired parson, inherited the Taverham Hall estate, near Norwich in Norfolk, through the female side of the family around 1850.

Smith 2; Sadleir 350

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The very rare first edition (issued with her sister's novel Agnes Grey) in a near contemporary binding of Emily Brontë's classic romantic work, consistently among the top three selling novels in the English language. Almost universally rejected by uncomprehending reviewers upon publication (sales were not even of an order to justify any publisher's payment to either Emily or Anne Brontë) Wuthering Heights has since become established as one of the most extraordinary novels of the nineteenth century, combining passionate and vindictive characters, a moorland setting, casual violence, self-destructive love and a vengeful theme, all held together with "the complete absence of any moral tone or purpose—a quality almost unique in Victorian fiction" (Juliet Barker, Oxford DNB).