**The Brontë Sisters — The Novels (1905) Edmund Dulac’s First Major Commission — Complete in Ten Volumes Fifty Color Plates with Tissue Guards — J.M. Dent / E.P. Dutton**
 
A breathtaking and highly desirable first illustrated edition of the collected novels of Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë — the landmark 1905 production that launched Edmund Dulac, then only twenty‑two, into the first rank of Golden Age illustrators. Freshly arrived in Great Britain and virtually unknown, Dulac was handed this monumental commission: ten volumes, fifty sumptuous color plates, each protected by its original tissue guard. The result was a triumph that announced a major artistic voice and remains one of the most beautiful Brontë sets ever produced.
 
The Complete Ten‑Volume Set
Uniformly bound in cream‑white cloth, gilt titles to spines and boards, with Dulac’s green floral Art 
Nouveau design winding elegantly across each volume. Top edges gilt; others uncut. Silk place markers present. Includes: Jane Eyre — Two volumes, Shirley — Two volumes, Villette — Two volumes, Wuthering Heights — One volume, The Professor — One volume, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall — Two volumes. A complete and harmonious group — increasingly scarce in collectible condition.
 
Condition ~ Light edgewear consistent with age; gentle softening and a touch of fraying to spine tips. Endpapers toned, with intermittent foxing to interior pages. Overall, the set retains strong shelf appeal, bright gilt, and the unmistakable charm of a well‑preserved 1905 Dulac production.
 
Why Collectors Prize This Set
Dulac’s first major commission — the project that launched his career
Fifty color plates, each a jewel of early 20th‑century illustration
A lavish Art Nouveau binding design, uniform across ten volumes
A complete set of the Brontë sisters’ major works in a single, beautifully produced edition
Increasingly difficult to find in cohesive, attractive condition
 
A Showcase Piece for Any Rare Book Collection
This is not merely a set of novels — it is a milestone in illustrated book history, a celebration of the Brontës at their most elegant, and a stunning early example of Dulac’s emerging genius. An outstanding and much‑sought‑after 1905 edition, ready to anchor a shelf or become the centerpiece of a collector’s library.