The Common Reader. [and] The Common Reader Second Series.

WOOLF, Virginia.

The Common Reader. [and] The Common Reader Second Series.

London: The Hogarth Press , 1925 & 1932.

$4,000.00

In Stock Item Number: RRB-151114

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Hand made by the Harcourt Bindery. ~90 days

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First editions of Virginia Woolf's The Common Reader and The Common Reader Second Series

First British editions of these classic collections of Woolf's critical essays. Octavo, volume one in the original publisher's pictorial half-cloth boards, volume two in the original publisher's green cloth. Volume one in very good condition dust jacket. Volume two is very good in a very good dust jacket. Volume two jacket design is by Vanessa Bell, the older sister to Virginia Woolf. Housed in a custom green slipcase. A nice set.

The Common Reader (1925) and The Common Reader: Second Series (1932) by Virginia Woolf are collections of literary essays that exemplify her distinctive approach to criticism, blending historical reflection, psychological insight, and stylistic experimentation. Addressed to the “common reader” rather than the academic specialist, the volumes examine writers across three centuries of English literature, including figures such as Defoe, Swift, Hazlitt, Hardy, Meredith, Christina Rossetti, and George Gissing. In the second series, Woolf expands her range with portraits that combine biographical interpretation and evaluative critique, offering nuanced assessments of literary character and cultural context.