M.R. James A THIN GHOST & OTHERS Book 1919 +DUST JACKET ARNOLD 1st ED Impression

Description: London: Edward Arnold & Co., A THIN GHOST AND OTHERS, By M.R. James, 1919, Hardback With Screamingly-Rare Dust Wrapper, 1st Impression (1st Edition!!)BOOK: Truly a magnificent book in the rare 1st Impression with the ultra-rare dust jacket (perhaps the only extant ... perhaps)! Published in London by Edward Arnold & Co., in 1919 (1st Impression, 1st Edition Thus). James' third Ghost Story/Weird Tale book, and still an influential work (his first book is often considered the birth of the modern-day Supernatural story, and his follow up books, while not considered at the same level as his first book, are still offered up as masterpieces of horror and literature). 12mo (5" x 7.5"), 152 pages. Original pictorial black cloth, front and spine panels stamped in blue, all edges untrimmed. First edition. No illustrations. Original tan dust wrapper with brown lettering and pictorials.CONDITION: Original black cloth panels stamped in blue. Front panel is toned, so black is a little fadded. Still, the blue title and spider webbing is bright and contrasts well with the background. Appears to have a little more sunning to the left upper side then the right side. Top right hand corner is bumped, and has some minor edge wear. Spine is toned as well, more so at top. Blue stamping of title and author are also litely faded, but still stands off on a shelf. Minimal wear to top and bottom edges, and also edge wear where front and back panel attach to the spine (more so on the back panel, where a distinct line of wear runs from top to bottom). Back panel is also litely faded, with a wee bump on one corner. Text block is yellowed with age, and a few very minor foxing spots (very few). End papers have yellowed a bit heavier than rest of the book and front has a former owner's name, date, and inscription in ink. Text block edges have yellowing due to age and some very lite dusting. Pages are not brittle. Overall book itself is bright, tight, and square. Only real issue is the toning to the boards. The dust jacket is there (need I say more!?!). Front panel is yellowed with age with toning to edges. Chips on front panel corners. Also rubbing/edge wear to edges with front flap and spine. Untouched (for the most part) from any wear are the spider web, title, and author's name. As such, it displays remarkably well on a shelf (and anyone who knows the rarity of the dust jacket will be suitably impressed -- most likely bowing at the altar of a truly rare book!). The spine panel of the dust jacket is heavily toned, and quite dark brown (my believe is that it was not intended this way, just darkened by toning/sunning). There is chipping at the top and bottom (as can be seen in the scan) as well as some rubbing wear in the middle. The back panel has two large chips out (upper left hand corner and lower middle--again, both can be seen in the scan). Also some creasing, edge wear, dust soiling, and a tear that connects the first chip with the 2nd. Flaps are complete and yellowed with age. To not be to harsh on the condition of thie dust jacket, as it is quite rare (and perhaps one of only two or three dust jackets extant! Certainly the first to hit the market in many, many years!). Overall, a solid and tight copy. Book would be VG, DJ G/G+ (chips keeping it from going any higher--but front panel is very strong, a VG by itself, and perhaps a VG+ based on age). As with all of our rare books, I am nit-picking this thing, but I am a collector, so I want you to be happy, thus I grade extensively and conservatively. As with all of our items, the scans you see are of the actual item, we do not use Stock Photos.BOOK: James' first book is considered one of the most influential books of the 20th Century, especially in regards to Ghost Stories and stories of the Supernatural. So well-received was it, that polite-minded and literate Victorians (a diminishing breed) clamored for more Ghost Story offerings by Mr. James. The author responded with four more books, this being the third. First published in 1919, it is the third book of James' classic ghost stories, and often considered to be the 2nd best. "First-rate stories" - Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 912. "He was a consummate artist of the creepy tale, and his best works are literary gems." Barron (ed.): Horror Literature 3-108. "First-rate stories" - Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 912. "James surpassed most writers of ghost stories in the errieness of his atmosphere, the individual and peculiarly creepy quality of his plots, and the vindictiveness and maligancy of his ghosts" (Kunitz & Haycraft). "Author of some of the most frightening and formally perfect ghost stories ever written." - Sullivan (ed), The Penguin Encyclopedia of Horror and the Supernatural, pp. 233-35. "A literary weird fictionist of the very first rank." - H. P. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature, pp. 100-05 (yes, read what Lovecraft thought was scary). An absolute must have for the collector of Fantastic Fiction and Horror stories, especially for the dust jacket. CONTENTS:THE RESIDENCE OF WHITMINSTERTHE DIARY OF MR. POYNTERAN EPISODE OF CATHEDRAL HISTORYTHE STORY OF A DISAPPEARANCE AND AN APPEARANCETWO DOCTORSAUTHOR: MONTAGUE RHODES JAMES (1862-1936) He was a noted Medieval scholar and provost of King's College in Cambridge England, but he is best remembered today as the father of the modern Ghost Story. Oddly enough, these stories were penned for Christmas -- a Victorian Tradition, the reading aloud of ghost stories as Christmas Eve entertainment for gatherings of friends and family. His stories were published in a series of collections: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904), More Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1911), A Thin Ghost and Others (1919), A Warning to the Curious and other Ghost Stories (1925). Two noted writers that were very found of James' work, and heavily influenced, were Clark Ashton Smith and H.P. Lovecraft.VALUE & RARITY: Searching the various Internet Book Sites (over the course of SIX months) turned up ZERO copies of this book in a Dust Jacket. In fact, NO copies of this book in any of the first five impressions showed up in a Dust Jacket. (This was searching all Internet Book Sites: ABE, Alibris, etc.; Auction Sites: Ebay, Amazon, Overstock; Web sites from various Booksellers: Currey, etc.; and Various Horror/Sci-Fi Book Catalogs that I get--suffice it to say, this is quite rare in a dust jacket! It is literally the type of item that may go another five to six years without being seen on the secondary market, or perhaps not even at all). The book itself in a first impression can sell for upwards of $400.00, so even that is scarce. I will put "accept best offer" on this, and will consider reasonable offers (and depending on how slow business is, I may accept--but something like this is a bookseller's [and collector's] dream, so I will be very selective on offers, if at all).Shipping USPS Priority Mail, Will be packed with the utmost care to ensure this book arrives in the best condition and will be insured.

Price: 3299.99 USD

Location: Sandy, Utah

End Time: 2025-01-21T17:18:59.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD