Winning His Spurs

First Edition. First U.K. edition of this very rare book, in a previously unrecorded issue. One of just 3 books that Henty produced for Low before he became a Blackie author, and before he was really successful.

This is a copy of the first edition, dated 1882 on the title page and in the original illustrated binding (Newbolt 11.1). Red cloth lettered in gilt and black and illustrated in black. 324pp text with numerous in-text illustrations. This copy has a catalogue at rear dated September 1888 and already advertizing the New and Cheaper edition of this book.

Newbolt's 11.2 is undated and was first issued in 1888. It would seem therefore that the publisher issued the remaining unsold stock copies of the first edition in 1888 to coincide with the cheaper issue. Newbolt does not record any later issues of the first edition, and there were probably very few such copies.

The present copy has benefitted from professional restoration - recased with all original covers and spine preserved and new, sepia-coated endpapers. The front cover is bright and attractive, the spine rather dulled but quite legible and with vague patchy grubbiness to the rear cover. Internally there are foxed and grubby marks passim, indicating that the book was well-read.

A perfectly sound and serviceable copy nonetheless of a most uncommon early Henty first edition, no other copies having been offered online for the past several years.