Edition: First Edition, First Impression

Description: First UK edition, first impression. Octavo (8vo). viii, 307pp, [5]pp publisher's catalogue at rear (commencing with Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow). Publisher's original yellow cloth, titled in red to front cover and gilt to spine.

Condition Report: Good only. Original yellow cloth covers are discoloured, rubbed, and marked, with expected age-toning and shelf wear. Structurally sound with a firm binding. Internally, the pages show widespread foxing and spotting throughout, though text remains entirely legible and with very little evidence of wear through usage. Inscribed in ink to front page with date of 'Xmas 1905' and a subsequent illegible pencil inscription - name only. A complete, unrestored first state reference copy of Jerome's classic Edwardian essays.

Summary Idle Ideas in 1905 is not a novel, but a witty collection of 14 satirical essays detailing Jerome K. Jerome's observational musings on Edwardian daily life. Written in his signature conversational style, the book tackles everyday social absurdities and trivial anxieties, ranging from the trials of modern travel and fashion to the value of deliberate laziness. While lacking an overarching storyline, each standalone piece captures the essence of early 20th-century middle-class culture, offering a charming, comedic time capsule of the era's social norms and domestic habits.

307 pp.