Books

The book is bound in pinkish red cloth; boards are sharp, contents clean and free of inscriptions, there is minor loss to last page of text (p351 otherwise fine. The wrapper is complete without any loss or repairs and remarkably clean given the large amount of white. There is a 4/6 price label on the spine. There is a fabulously lurid and anti-Semitic illustration on the front panel showing a scarab beetle with stereotypical features of a Jewish man. 25th impression. London, Ernest Benn, 1931 A very rare example. There are no copies of this edition online let alone with a near fine wrapper.

Written by Richard Marsh, 'The Beetle' is a supernatural tale published in 1897, overlapping with Bram Stoker's release of 'Dracula'. The novel delves into horror and mystery, involving a shape-shifting creature that terrorizes London, while simultaneously exploring themes of colonialism and cultural anxieties.