Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1886 First English edition, first printing, with one page of publisher's advertisements at the rear of the text. Finely bound in three-quarter brown calf with marbled boards, five raised bands to spine, lettered and ruled in gilt to spine, blue endpapers, and red speckled edges. Near fine with a touch of wear to board edges and spine ends, light spotting to prelims, else clean interior. A very handsome copy of Stevenson's classic work. Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde tells of London lawyer Mr. Utterson's investigation of the peculiar relationship between the respectable Dr. Jekyll and the villainous Mr. Hyde, who are actually the two split personalities of one man. Today, it remains an archetypal text about man's internal conflict between good and evil. Notably, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was first issued as a "penny dreadful," a cheaply produced paperback sold for a penny, featuring sensational stories of horror and crime. Following the release of the book as a penny dreadful, it was published in book form by Scribner's in New York and Longmans in London four days later. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was prepared for publication in December 1885, but Longmans delayed its release until January 1886 so that it did not get lost among the many Christmastime publications that lined the shelves at local bookstores.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.