The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy

Issued in instalments from 1759 to 1767, this comic novel pretends to be the autobiography of Tristram Shandy but keeps missing its own birth. Digressions on his parents' marriage, his nose, his name, and the hobby-horses of Uncle Toby and Corporal Trim displace straight chronology, while sermons, blank pages, and addresses to the reader stall the plot. The Yorkshire parlour, the bowling green where Toby restages sieges, and the Widow Wadman occupy more space than the hero's career. The book is a satire on narration and learning, not a conventional life story.

Bound in textured off-white Charmante-Gwebe cloth printed and blocked with a design by Tom Phillips, title blocked in gold foil on spine. Tipped-in marbled page by Jemma Lewis. Gilded top page edges. Red ribbon marker. COMMENTARY VOLUME -. Editorial material by Melvyn New. Bound in dark red Iris cloth blind-blocked with a design by Tom Phillips, with title blocked in gold foil on spine. Slipcase -covered in dark red cloth with top and bottom lips. Blocked in dark red foil on front with a design by Tom Phillips. Lined in Art Vellum paper.