TWELVE EXCEPTIONAL NOVELS
nally hinges repaired and some occasional spotting throughout, mainly light but with heavier staining to the C1-C7 of vol II, a small hole to the margin of C7 and a marginal chip to M3 of vol III. [44162] £45,000 The first edition of Le Fanu’s most famous work and the first to gain the author widespread success. Its success is partly because it was, of its time, sui generis: it can be rightly viewed as a gothic novel, detective fiction, and supernatural thriller without strictly conforming to any of these genres. It is also an early example of what has become known as the ‘locked room mystery’. Its reception was instant and warm and its influence long lasting, with Bram Stoker, Conan Doyle and M. R. James all acknowledging the in- fluence of Le Fanu’s work on their own. Published in an edition of just 500 copies, the first edition has always been rare in commerce, exceptionally so in the original cloth. Only two copies in cloth appear to have been sold at auction in the last 70 years and this is the only inscribed copy we can trace. PROVENANCE: Henrietta Le Fanu (inscribed from the author), by family descent to William Le Fanu (1904-1995, the original recipient’s grandson), lent for exhibition in 1951 for the Festival of Britain (exhibition label on front endpaper of vol. I).
AUTHOR’S PRESENTATION COPY
10. Uncle Silas A Tale Of Bartram-Haugh LE FANU, J. Sheridan
Richard Bentley, 1864. First edition. Three volumes. 8vo. Original plum morocco grained cloth lettered in gilt to the spine and with
triple ruled border and arabesques in blind to the covers. Half-titles present. Author’s presentation copy, inscribed to his sister-in-law on the half title of volume one, “To Henrietta Le Fanu from The Author December 1864”. Each volume rebacked with the original spines laid down and small losses to the original cloth from head of the spines of vols II and III. Corners bumped and a crease to the front board of vol III. Inter-
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