Trilby: A Novel

viii, 464 pp. 4-page terminal publisher ad. Original beige cloth boards, gilt & green titles and decorations. Engravings by the author throughout. This novel introduced the character Svengali, whose name became synonymous with the type of character he was in this story: a person who, with evil intent, dominates, manipulates and controls another. 'First published in 1894, the story of the diva Trilby O'Ferrall and her mentor, Svengali, has entered the mythology of that period alongside Dracula and Sherlock Holmes. Immensely popular for years, the novel led to a hit play, a series of popular films, Trilby products from hats to ice-cream, and streets in Florida named after characters in the book. The setting reflects Du Maurier's bohemian years as an art student in Paris before he went to London to make a career in journalism. A celebrated caricaturist for Punch magazine, Du Maurier's drawings for the novel... form a large part of its appeal.'