first edition
1852 · New York
by WATERS" [Thomas Waters] [Pseud: RUSSELL, William]
New York: Cornish, Lamport & Co, 1852. First American Edition. Octavo. 19cm. Publisher's original dark blue embossed cloth titled in gilt to spine, with elaborate blindstamping to boards. 238pp. Wear, rubbing and scuffing to extremities, with book board showing through the cloth at corners and edges, fraying and loss to spine ends not interfering with the title, in addition there is a cosmetic split to the cloth of the front spine hinge. A good, serviceable copy with some conspicuous wear. Internally clean, rear inner hinge split, two previous ownerships in pencil to the prelims, with an additional pencil name to page 22. Some thumbing to prelims and with a pale damp stain to the lower front corner of the first 20pp or so.
Perhaps not the most beautiful example of this scarce and sought after title to surface, but a legitimate rarity nonetheless. This first US edition, although of dubious legality, predates the official first edition of this work by 4 years having been collected from US magazine publications syndicating from the Edinburgh Review, and bolted together into book form. One of the very earliest fictional police procedurals, and an early contributor to the enduring mystique of Scotland Yard. (Inventory #: 82443)
Perhaps not the most beautiful example of this scarce and sought after title to surface, but a legitimate rarity nonetheless. This first US edition, although of dubious legality, predates the official first edition of this work by 4 years having been collected from US magazine publications syndicating from the Edinburgh Review, and bolted together into book form. One of the very earliest fictional police procedurals, and an early contributor to the enduring mystique of Scotland Yard. (Inventory #: 82443)
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