Published in 1894 by Selmar Hess of New York, these 12"
x 9-1/2" brown leather-bound volumes are in excellent condition, so good that when I got them, I went online to see if someone had produced a later facsimile edition. Nope, they're the real deal, printed in 1894 but incredibly sharp and clean.
All page-ends gold gilt, shiny gold gilt title, border and decorative motif on front cover, gold gilt title on spine. Books have no writing or marks inside, text-block solid, hinges tight, cover corners sharp. The frontispiece in each volume is protected by onion-skin paper. Wonderful B&W illustrations throughout. The only flaws I found are a 3/8" scrape on the spine of Vol V and a spot of maybe lacquer (?) on the left side of the front cover. Please see pics for condition details. If you're comparing to other sets on eBay, please look carefully at the head / foot of the spines, this is a good indicator of condition. This is just a really excellent set of roughly 125-year old books that will be well-packaged and promptly shipped with USPS Media Mail. Books are quite heavy.
FYI, I am also listing a companion set of Brewer's Character Sketches in a matching size and design. Published by Selmar Hess in 1896, the design is slightly more ornate (same border on the front cover and same gilt top / bottom bands on the spine) but with an intaglio background for the gilt center rosette) and also in similarly fantastic condition. If you're interested in both, please message me and I'll work a package deal for you.