Guy Mannering, o El Astrólogo – Sir Walter Scott (1840, edición bilingüe París/México)

Condition & Look
Bound in striking embossed green boards with a gilt-decorated spine, this 1840 edition shows its age with wear along the hinges, some scuffing, and faded gilt—but the charm of its ornate floral tooling remains undeniable. Its compact octavo size, coupled with the richly textured cover, makes it as much a decorative piece as a literary artifact.

History & Significance
Guy Mannering (1815) was Sir Walter Scott’s second novel, weaving astrology, fate, and Scottish folklore into a tale of inheritance and identity. This Mexican/Parisian edition is a rare translation by E. de Ochoa, making it not just a Scott novel, but also part of the transatlantic literary exchange of the 19th century. The imprint “Librería de Rosa, París / Librería de Galván, México” reflects the vibrant trade of European books into Latin America’s intellectual circles.

Age
Printed in 1840, this volume stands at nearly 185 years old—a remarkable survivor from a time when Scott’s novels dominated global reading lists.

Obscure Lore
Scott’s fascination with the “uncertainty of the stars” mirrored the era’s uneasy dance between Enlightenment rationality and lingering superstition. Owning this edition feels like holding both a ghost story and a horoscope in your hands—an artifact of when novels were thought capable of predicting, or perhaps shaping, one’s destiny.