CONDITION was hardly the biggest selling point of the book shown left, and Chiswick Auctions (22% buyer’s premium), which offered this copy of Sheridan Le Fanu’s The Watcher and other Weird Stories on January 25, was not entirely sure that it was a first edition.
The backstrip is only partially present, the corners are bumped, the hinges split and the text block, which incorporates 21 illustrations, is weak in places. In addition, the brown pictorial cloth binding with black and silver decoration is at variance with the usual grey/silver/black finish.