Ingoldsby, Thomas “The Ingoldsby Legends” [Richard Bentley, 1855] 10th Edition

INGOLDSBY, Thomas [BARHAM, Richard Harris]. The Ingoldsby Legends; or, Mirth and Marvels. 

London: Richard Bentley, 1855. Tenth edition, complete in three volumes. Publisher's original dark blue cloth with elaborate blind-stamped borders and gilt-decorated spines featuring Gothic architectural motifs, birds, and medieval armor. Illustrated throughout with engravings by George Cruikshank, John Leech, and others. Moderate rubbing to extremities, with wear to spine ends and corners. Gilt decoration remains bright and well-defined. Scattered marks and discoloration to cloth, including a small area of surface abrasion to the spine of the Third Series. Interior pages show age toning and occasional spotting, with more pronounced discoloration to preliminary leaves. Front hinge of Volume I cracked; all other hinges solid. Very Good-.

First published between 1840 and 1847, The Ingoldsby Legends is a celebrated collection of humorous and supernatural tales, ballads, and poems written by the English clergyman Richard Harris Barham (1788–1845) under the pseudonym Thomas Ingoldsby. Drawing upon English folklore, medieval legends, ghost stories, and Gothic traditions, Barham combines the macabre with irreverent humor, parody, and elaborate wordplay. His stories feature witches, demons, haunted houses, spectral apparitions, and other supernatural encounters, frequently illustrated with lively and grotesque scenes. The collection became a Victorian literary favorite, particularly admired for its blend of comic verse and Gothic fantasy.