Four Fantastic Stories
by Walpole, Hugh; Whistler, Rex
- Used
- near fine
- Hardcover
- first
- Condition
- Near Fine /Near Fine
- Seller
-
Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Macmillan and Co. London: Macmillan and Co. Limited, 1932 8vo., forest green publisher's boards, ruled and with central device in blind to upper board; spine ruled and lettered in gilt; upper edge green; complete in the rather wonderful dust jacket designed by Rex Whistler (7s. 6d. net); pp. [iv], v-xiv, 923, [i], [6, ads.]; with title vignette also by the artist; a fantastic, and bright copy, near-fine, with light compression to spine tips and very minor portion where the upper edge stain has bled onto the outer edge; the dust jacket also in near-fine condition, save for a couple of creases and two small closed tears to the spine. First edition. From the opening lines of the first short story, "The gray twilight gives to the long, pale stretches of sand the sense of something strangely unreal", Walpole's collection of these three enigmatic tales present the reader with mystery, intrigue, and a touch of the macabre. The four stories included are Maradick at Forty, Prelude to Adventure, A Man with Red Hair and Above the Dark Circus. Maradick at Forty was originally published in 1910, and was Walpole's second novel, one where he describes his own writing as 'wild and fantastic, with the Devil as one of the principle characters'. The Prelude to Adventure followed shortly afterwards, although it initially received a lukewarm response. Indeed, Walpole writes, "stories about the Devil must seem absurd to a generation that has known the Great War. hard facts have been too real to be disregarded". Compiled here in one volume, all four stories centre around the themes of good and evil, and are an attempt by the author to reconcile the world of the supernatural with what he describes as the world of fact. Though copies of this omnibus edition are not hard to find, they rarely appear with both the book and its jacket in such vibrant condition. The dust jacket illustration is arguably one of Whistler's finest. . Near Fine. Hardcover. 1st Edition. 1st Printing. 1932.
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Details
- Bookseller
- The Plantagenet King (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 003274
- Title
- Four Fantastic Stories
- Author
- Walpole, Hugh; Whistler, Rex
- Format/Binding
- Hardcover
- Book Condition
- Used - Near Fine
- Jacket Condition
- Near Fine
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- 1st Edition
- Publisher
- Macmillan and Co
- Date Published
- 1932
- Weight
- 0.00 lbs
Terms of Sale
The Plantagenet King
14 day return guarantee, with full refund including original shipping costs for up to 14 days after delivery if an item arrives misdescribed or damaged.
About the Seller
The Plantagenet King
Biblio member since 2016
Canterbury, Kent
About The Plantagenet King
The Plantagenet King is based in Canterbury in East Kent, England and are sellers of collectable and rare first edition books. We specialise in modern fiction, children's titles and 19th century literature. We welcome direct contact so if you would like to discuss any of our books please send an email to mark.richardson@theplantagenetking.com. Also please feel free to browse through our website: www.theplantagenetking.com.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- First Edition
- In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
- Fine
- A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
- Device
- Especially for older books, a printer's device refers to an identifying mark, also sometimes called a printer's mark, on the...
- Jacket
- Sometimes used as another term for dust jacket, a protective and often decorative wrapper, usually made of paper which wraps...
- Vignette
- A decorative design or illustration placed at the beginning or end of a ...
- Spine
- The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
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