Songs of Action
London, John Murray, [1918] (John Murray issue)/ 1916 (seventh impression)/ 1898.
Small octavo, viii (first leaf blank), 136 pages.
Original blue buckram blocked in gilt; edges uncut; covers heavily sunned and slightly worn and bumped; scattered light foxing internally; tiny worm track to the bottom corner of the rear endpaper and last few leaves; later gift inscription in ink on the front pastedown; overall, a good copy (internally very good) with the early small paper label of 'Dymock's Book Arcade, 428 George St., Sydney' on the front pastedown.
The title page is inscribed and signed in ink 'With best regards from A. Conan Doyle. | This was my first book - full | of feeble stuff, but here & there an | idea. ACD.'. More accurately, this collection of energetic verse on martial, heroic, sporting and hunting themes was Conan Doyle's first book of poetry ... The seventh impression was published by Smith, Elder, & Co. in August 1916 in an edition of 500 copies; '400 quires from the seventh impression were bound by John Murray ... Reissued thus January 1918', as here (see Green and Gibson A23a). 'After the death of Reginald Smith on 26 December 1916, the book rights and remaining stock of Smith, Elder and Company were put up for sale. They were bought by John Murray in May 1917. The sheets were reissued in new bindings with inserted title pages, and were then reprinted. Smith, Elder and Company sheets: "Songs of Action" (seventh impression), reissued January 1918 ...' (Richard Green and John Gibson: 'A Bibliography of A. Conan Doyle', 1983; page 574).
Item #144972
Price (AUD):
$6,000.00