Cox (Erle) Out of the Silence

London, John Hamilton, [1927].

First UK edition, a “Sundial Edition”. Signed presentation copy from the author. 8vo. Original dark blue cloth lettered and with publisher’s device in gilt. Dust-jacket, priced 7/6.

A rare jacketed edition of this sci-fi classic, originally published in serial and book form in Melbourne, Australia. The tale recounts the discovery of the last-but-one revenant of a lost civilisation, discovered in Australia’s outback by a homesteader; the ‘wonder-woman’ discovered preserved underground is from an ancient race with a vastly superior technology than our own, but also a rather unfortunate penchant for eugenics and racism, putting humanity itself in terrible peril. The author has signed & inscribed the front endpaper in 1934, thanking the reader to help “bring water to a thirsty land”. There is a small clipped portrait of the author tipped-in next to the inscription.