Life and Labour, Or Characteristics of Men of Industry, Culture and Genius

xii, 474pp. Finely bound in full tan calfskin, outer gilt dentelles, five raised bands and red leather title label to spine, gilt lettering and embellishments, Trinity College, Harrogate armorial emblem on front board. Text block edge fully marbled. Marbled endpapers, with inner blind dentelles. 12mo. Boards just a little rubbed on edges, slightly rounded at corners. Internally fresh and bright barring the very occasional sign of fingering. A very handsome, well-preserved volume. A study of the private and working lives of successful men in history. Smiles achieved wide fame with his 1859 work, Self-Help, which promoted self-reliance and self-improvement. "Believing that his essential message was only partially accepted and cautious about the effect of the extension of the franchise in 1867, he developed his theme in Character (1871), Thrift (1875), Duty (1880), and Life and Labour (1887). By the 1890s, Smiles's individualism had lost its interest and in 1896 Murray turned down 'Conduct', the last of the series" (ODNB).