Lot Details

Description

Stoker Bram (1847 - 1912). Dracula by Bram Stocker. Westminster Archibald Constable and Company, 2 Whitehall Gardens. 1897

First Edition

ix, [1], 390, [2] blank leaves, [8] pp. of advertisements. Octavo (7,64x4,88in). Publisher’s original yellow cloth, lettered in red, preserved in a modern slipcase. First edition.

With text ending on p. 390, followed by a final integral blank leaf (without any mention of “The Shoulder of Shasta”) and 8 pages of publisher’s advertisements at the end of the volume; half-title present. The final catalogue opens with an advertisement for The Amazing Marriage by George Meredith and concludes with The Whitehall Shakespeare; Dracula is not listed among the advertisements. Dalby (2004) 10(a).

A scarce first edition of one of the great classics of horror literature, which inspired numerous imitations, cinematic adaptations, and enduring popular myths. Dalby records two variants of the first issue, both on thicker paper with a final blank leaf: one without advertisements, and another, as in the present copy, with an 8-page catalogue beginning with The Amazing Marriage by George Meredith and ending with The Whitehall Shakespeare.

Dalby 10(a)
The variant identified by Dalby comprises the first edition, first issue, printed on thicker paper, with the text ending on p. 390, followed by a blank final leaf [391/392], and without the advertisement for The Shoulder of Shasta. In some copies, an 8-page publisher's catalogue is bound in at the end. This 8-page catalogue begins with The Amazing Marriage by George Meredith and ends with The Whitehall Shakespeare. It contains no mention of Dracula. This variant is expressly identified in antiquarian sources as Dalby 10(a). For example, Christie's describes a copy with 8 pages of publisher's advertisements at the end, without the advertisement for The Shoulder of Shasta, as “FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE,” citing Dalby 10(a): Christie's, Live Auction 1632, The Donald G. Drapkin Library, Lot 365, 2005 June 29. STOKER, Bram (1847–1912). Dracula. Westminster: Archibald Constable and Company, 1897. 8vo. 8-page publisher's advertisements at end, printed on laid paper (p. 1 advertising Meredith's The Amazing Marriage and with no mention of Dracula). FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE, without the advertisement for The Shoulder of Shasta on p. [392]. The description of this variant introduced by Dalby in the expanded 2004 bibliography records two variants of the first issue: Thicker paper + blank final leaf + no terminal catalogue.
Thicker paper + blank final leaf + 8-page terminal publisher's catalogue.
Both are regarded as variants of the first issue.
Bibliographical description of the present copy: First edition, first issue, one of two recorded variants of the first issue, with an 8-page terminal publisher's catalogue. Dalby 10(a). This copy is one of the two recorded variants of the first issue identified by Dalby: printed on thicker paper, with the final leaf [391/392] blank, and with an 8-page publisher's catalogue at the end, beginning with The Amazing Marriage by George Meredith and ending with The Whitehall Shakespeare. The catalogue contains no mention of Dracula.

Dimensions

8° (7,64x4,88in), ix, [1], 390, [2] blank leaves, [8] pp. of advertisements.

Provenience

Private collection

Condition

Spine darkened. Some spots and bubbling. Overall a good copy.

Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers must understand that any statement made by Coradi Rare Finds is merely a subjective opinion.

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