Ivanhoe

Published in 1820 by author Sir Walter Scott, Ivanhoe is an influential historical romance novel set in medieval England. Ivanhoe represents a departure from Scott’s other novels, and remains his most well-known work. Scott explores many different themes in Ivanhoe, chief among them the rivalry and tension between the Saxons and Normans, feudal injustice as well as the oppression of England’s Jewish communities at the time.Critical reception was very positive at the time of publication, and Scott is credited with renewing interest in medieval England, leading to the publication of other novels set during the Dark Ages. The novel is also noteworthy for being historically accurate, correctly noting key figures and events of the time. In addition, Ivanhoe is also credited with expanding interest in the mythical Robin Hood, who Scott characterized as a cheerful and noble bandit.

Only 10,000 copies of Ivanhoe were published in its first run, and they were all sold within two weeks, and they are exceedingly scarce. First editions often come with pagination errors, and they were printed in three volumes. The copyright page lists the title as Ivanhoe; A Romance.

While the first few printings of Ivanhoe were published as three volumes, later editions included the story in just one volume. Easton Press published a single volume collector’s edition in 1977, accented with 22kt gold and bound in leather. The Limited Editions Club published a limited run illustrated collector’s edition in 1951, with only 1500 copies printed.