Description

Hardcover, publisher’s blue cloth lettered in gold on spine and front boards, with latter sporting elaborate floral bind-stamping. 316 pages, with 32 pages of publisher’s ads appended. White laid-end-papers. First British single volume edition. [First published as a serial in the Illustrated London News in 1896, and then simultaneously in the USA and England as a book edition in two volumes, later that year. This ‘reprint’ edition is the first single volume edition of the novel. See BAL 10620.] Considered the “ugly duckling” of the Jamesian canon by many a critic for its themes of child murder and lack of verisimilitude, there have been notable exceptions among select critics in recent years. Neat previous owner’s name on front free end-paper. A used copy with paper cracked on both front and rear inner hinges with netting exposed, albeit hinges still strong. Cloth covers show mild rubbing to extremities, darkening {especially to spine} and general overall light wear. Interior untrimmed book block shows one or two spots of foxing but is otherwise clean and unmarked. Still a nice example of this lesser appreciated James title. Good.