Detective Fiction
London, Herbert Jenkins, 1941.
First edition. 8vo. Original orange cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.
'"The case of the century" was how the Press described the weird mystery that centred around "The Bat" - a ghoul of the air who, in his efforts to perfect an almost incredible invention, swooped down to kill without mercy". (jacket). A very good first edition, uncommon in the jacket.
Modern Literature
London, John Murray, 1931.
First edition. 8vo. Original blue cloth. Dust-jacket, correctly priced 7/6.
One of two novels by Heseltine written under the pen-name 'Jane Dashwood'. '...the study of the events of twenty-four hours in the life of an English family, is beautiful and moving, written with a delicate precision and an insight into human nature that are remarkable.' (jacket).
Weird & Supernatural
A Ghost Story
London & New York, Routledge, [1876].
Routledge's Christmas Annual for 1876. 8vo. Illustrations; advertisements. Original pictorial wrappers.
The first appearance of this classic Victorian ghost story by Scottish author Grant, in Routledge's Christmas Annual for 1876. Rare in the original wrappers.
Viz. Ombre, in all its Branches. Picquet. And, the Royal Game of Chess. Wherein the Frauds in Play are Detected, and the Laws of each Game Annexed to Prevent Disputes. Written for the Use of the Young Princesses.
London, for E. Curll, 1722..
Third edition. 12mo. Contemporary in Cambridge panelled style with blind tooled borders and decorations, sympathetically rebacked in later calf.
An important work on the development of games, and in particular card games, in Britain in the 18th century. Originally published in 1719, 'written for the use of the young princesses', Seymour confidently declared that 'Gameing is become so much the Fashion among the Beau Monde, that He, who in Company should appear ignorant of the Games in Vogue, would be reckon'd low bred, and hardly fit for Conversation.' Whether this was in fact the case or not is hard to say, but certainly the card games he championed, ombre and piquet, did become increasingly popular, and the book ran to at least eight editions. Scarce.
Modern Literature
New York, Norton, 1975.
First US edition. 8vo. Original black cloth. Dust-jacket, priced $6.95.
The first US edition of this important play by the Nigerian playwright, novelist and Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka. Written whilst Soyinka was in exile in England, the work is notable for its extensive use of Yoruba proverbs, with which the author was very familiar. A Netflix adaptation is due out later this year.