Books

Here is an amazing lot of 5 novels in the exceedingly rare hardbound matching bindings of Munro's Seaside Library editions. These include: King Solomon's Mines, She, Jess, Allan's Quatermain and Allan's Wife. All five are published by George Munro's Sons, New York and in matching half bindings of burgundy calf and blue marbled paper cloth. Ribbed spines with lettering and publishers device in gilt, patterned end pages. The publisher bound a small quantity of their paperbacks omitting the paper wraps which contained dates and the library numbers. HRH expert Al Tella compared collations with the original paperbacks to determine the following details. King Solomon's Mines: Seaside Library #753 [1886 McKay pg 17], reprint 1891, with Eclipse of Sun on pg. 105. She: Seaside Library #910 [1886 McKay Pg. 19]. Jess: Seaside Library #941 [July 6, 1886 McKay pg. 19], predates Scott 6, 6A. Allan Quatermain: Seaside Library #989 [June 29, 1887 McKay pg. 20], predates Scott 7, 7B. Allan's Wife: Seaside Library # 1248 deposited in LOC on Nov. 22, 1889 [Scott pg. 20] predates UK edition of Dec. 1889. Average condition for this lot is Very Good. Bindings show flaking and chipping to leather, and modest rubbing to paper. The cheap interior paper is tan with some browning edges; a couple of chips and most have matching book plate of John M. Johnson.

King Solomon's Mines is a novel by the English writer H. Rider Haggard, first published in 1885. It is one of the first English adventure novels set in Africa, and is considered to be the genesis of the 'Lost World' literary genre.