James Cummins Bookseller

Allahabad: A.H. Wheeler & Co, n.d. [1888]; and [1890].

Price: $1,500.00

About the item

First edition of The Story of the Gadsbys, later [intermediate?] issue (see details below); probable Third Indian Edition of Wee Willie Winkie. 4 leaves, pp. [1], 2-12, [13-102], [4] leaves; with inserted insurance ad [Gadsbys]; 4 leaves, pp. [9]-96 [Winkie]. 2 vols. 8vo. Each in original greyish-green printed wrappers. Spine of first title worn and chipped, upper wrapper detached; outer corners of second title wrapper missing else fine. Despite the usual wear and soiling to fragile wrappers, both are otherwise very good, in chemise and half blue morocco slipcase. Bookplate of Arthur Haysworth Masten on inside front wrapper of each title. Stewart 32 and collector David Alan Richards} unpublished bibliography, p. 90 ; 56 (note).

Item #40770

First published in 1888, when Kipling was 23 and working in India for The Civil and Military Gazette, Lahore, these two volumes contain stories written for periodicals. They were published in the "India Railway Library" series (No. 2 and No. 6. respectively) by A.H. Wheeler at Allahabad, and went into several editions. Kipling left India for London the following year. At the bottom of the first title is stamped "A.J. Combridge & Co., Bombay".

THE STORY OF THE GADSBYS conforms to the first issue of the front wrappers in two of the three relevant issue points (the mountains appear to be retouched, as per the second issue; however, the heart shape in lower left corner (not touching the border) and absence of the "Mayo Art School, Lahore" slug beneath the imprint, are both points which conform to the first issue, indicating a possible unrecorded intermediate issue (see Richards, p. 90).

WEE WILLIE WINKIE conforms to Stewart's description of the third Indian Edition (made up of three thousand sheets printed for the first English edition).