THE TINTED VENUS: A FARCICAL ROMANCE. Bristol: J. W. Arrowsmith ... London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co., 1885. Small octavo, pp. [1-4] [1] 2-192 + 4 leaves of inserted ads at rear, original scarlet cloth, front and spine panels stamped in black, spine panel stamped in black and gold, yellow coated endpapers. First edition, first issue? Issued in both paper wrappers and in cloth (as here) as the sixth book of Arrowsmith's "Bristol Library." As per Turner, the preliminaries are arranged as follows: [i] title; [ii] quotation from Massinger; [iii] contents; [iv] advertisement for Conway's CALLED BACK. Turner, and other bibliographers, note four leaves of ads at rear, and Sadleir records one copy with only two leaves; this copy has four, comprising two conjugate leaves followed by two singletons. As per Locke, the ads in this copy for the six books in Arrowsmith's "Bristol Library" note "20th Thousand" for this title, which perhaps indicates that this is a later printing. A bibliographically complex book; the jury is still out. Anstey's most successful book, the story of the statue of a Greek goddess that comes to life. Barron (ed), Fantasy Literature 2-7. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 25. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy Volume III, p. Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 33. Bleiler (1978), p. 9. Reginald 00364. Sadleir 53. Wolff 167. Turner 4. Early owner's signature in ink dated 1888 on front free endpaper. Cloth rubbed at edges, some insect tracking to spine, small stain on rear cover, a very good copy. These copies bound in scarlet cloth (as opposed to brown cloth stamped in black, with brown coated endpapers) are somewhat uncommon. (#107034).
Price: $350.00
No statement of printing.