"Montague Summers.....was certainly fooled by [
The catalogue in question may be the one preserved in a Scrapbook of Bloods in State Library of Victoria, MS 3700/3 (though it doesn't include "The Skeleton Clutch"). Described as "late 1940s-1950s,
comprising press clippings, illustrations clipped from journals, published
bibliographies of penny bloods, book sales, lists of penny dreadfuls and penny
bloods; also, seventy letters from the Melbourne bookseller J.P. Quaine
(1951-1957) to Stanley Larnach, Walter W. Stone and J.K. Moir."
Here is the catalogue in Mr Quaine's inimitable style, replete with "fierce cuts" and rarae aves. I've made a few comments in square brackets. "James & Smith" is Penny Dreadfuls and Boys' Adventures : the Barry Ono Collection of Victorian Popular Literature in the British Library (1998). "Summers" is his Gothic Bibliography. The list clearly isn't the original catalogue, but has been typed by someone, presumably Stanley Larnach.
Copy of Sales List
From J.P. Quaine, 139 Commercial Rd, South Yarra, Melbourne, Victoria. 1931.
Rare Penny Dreadfuls offered from my own Private
Collection. All unobtainable anywhere
else in Australia .
1. Edwin J. Brett’s
“Boys of England”. The four first vols.,
a reissue dated 1876 et seq., bound in 2 large vols. Containing dozens of the best “bloods” issued
by Brett. Only £4, less than quarter the
London
price. SOLD.
2. Brett’s “Young Men
of Great Britain”. The first 4 vols. Original Editions, 1868 et seq. Bound in 3 vols, with all the rare gory
illustrations and coloured Xmas Number.
£5-10-0.
3. “Young Men of
Great Britain”, odd vol. 1880. Contains
“Ned Nimble amongst the Pirates” complete.
Good order. Only 20/-
4. “Young Men of Great Britain”, thick vol containing
numbers between 1884 and 1886, not quite complete. One vol. 20/-.
5. Brett’s “Jack
Harkaway Series”. Broken series, 13
vols, original covers. £3. A Mint set of
this rarity sells at 20 guineas in London .
6. “Handsome Harry of
the Fighting Belvedere”. Exceedingly scarce, wants 2 leaves, original cloth.
15/-. A perfect copy worth £4.
[James & Smith, 102]
[James & Smith, 102]
7. “Broad Arrow
Jack”, a perfect copy. Coloured
Front. A bargain at £4. 2 others bound
in.
[Edwin Harcourt Burrage, Broad-arrow Jack. James & Smith, 89]
[Edwin Harcourt Burrage, Broad-arrow Jack. James & Smith, 89]
8. “The Rival
Apprentices” and “Rupert Dreadnought” or “The Secret of the Iron Chest”, with
all gory woodcuts, 2 bound in 1 vol. £3.
[Vane IretonSaint John , The Rival Apprentices, a Tale of the Riots of 1780. James & Smith, 581. Vane Ireton Saint John ,
Rupert Dreadnought; or, The Secrets of
the Iron Chest. James & Smith,
582-584]
[Vane Ireton
9. “The London
Apprentice” by Pierce Egan, Large vol, of over 90 numbers, each with a quaint
cut. Well bound copy in Mint Order. Sold for £5-10-0.
10. “Black Bess or
The Knight of the Road”. A tale of Dick
Turpin, is the longest Penny Blood in history.
Just recently an article in the Herald from a London Paper referred to
it as being in the possession of a man who refuses to sell at any price. 2 vols, which contain two thirds of the
original 254 numbers, gory cuts. £2.
[James & Smith, 674; Summers, 247]
[James & Smith, 674; Summers, 247]
11. Aldine “Tip Top
Tales” 40 Blood-thirsty little penny books with coloured covers issued in the
Nineties. One coloured wrapper
missing. Bound in 5 dumpy vols. £2-5-0.
(300 others, loose, for £20.)
12. “Tom Wildrake’s
Schooldays”. A cloth copy of this rara
avis midst old boy’s books. London value at least £5,
my price £2.
[James & Smith, 189-191]
[James & Smith, 189-191]
13. Hogarth House
“Shot and Shell Series”. The six vol set
by George Emmett. 2 thick vols, with
Brett’s “Comic History of London” bound in. 2 vols. £4
14. Mint bound copy
of that famous old boy’s book “Tom Tartar”. £1.
[E. Harcourt Burrage, Tom Tarter at School; or, True Friend and Noble Foe. James & Smith, 118]
[E. Harcourt Burrage, Tom Tarter at School; or, True Friend and Noble Foe. James & Smith, 118]
15. “Will Watch, the
Bold Smuggler”. 1852. 47 Penny Numbers each with a quaint cut. Well bound. 30/-.
[Summers, 558]
[Summers, 558]
16. “The Parricide”,
by G.W.M. Reynolds. The rarest of his works. Never knew of another in Australia and
heard of few in England . Original issue 1847. £2. Even the cheap Dick’s reprint is rare now.
[G.W.M. Reynolds. The Parricide; or, A Youth’s Career of Crime. Summers, 457]
[G.W.M. Reynolds. The Parricide; or, A Youth’s Career of Crime. Summers, 457]
17. The ORIGINAL
Penny Weekly issue of Hugo’s “Esmerelda, or the Hunchback of Notre Dame”. Small
vol, well bound, dozens of cuts. 35/-.
18. Hugo’s “Hans of
Iceland”. The first English
Edition. Cruikshank’s fine fierce
plates. £3-10-0. London
price – Ten guineas.
19. Brett’s “Barons
of Old; or the Robbers of the Rhine ”. Each
number has several cuts, also 3 coloured plates are bound in the vol. 35/-.
[James & Smith, 13]
[James & Smith, 13]
20. “Dark Deeds of
Old London ” and
another Brett “Blood”. 25/-.
[James & Smith, 340]
[James & Smith, 340]
21. “Bravos of Alsatia”
and one other Brett “Blood” in one vol. 30/-.
SOLD.
[James & Smith, 337]
[James & Smith, 337]
22. “Massacre of Glencoe” by Reynolds, in one vol: original
numbers. 20/-. SOLD.
[Summers, 404]
[Summers, 404]
23. “Kenneth” by Reynolds, original issue in one vol. 15/-,
Gilberts illustrations.
[Summers, 152-3]
[Summers, 152-3]
24. “Gentleman George, the King of the Road”, with sequel
“King of Diamonds”, with all the cuts, and 2 others in one vol. £2-10-0.
[James & Smith, 68-69]
25. “Dashing Duke; or
the Mystery of the Red Mask”. 20/-.
[James & Smith, 683]
26. “The Outlaws of
Epping Forest”, a real gory old ‘un, fierce cuts. £2.
[James & Smith, 440-441]
27. “Manfrone the
One-Handed Monk”. Mrs Radcliffe, early
edition. Well Bound leather back, gilt
title. Dated 1839. 10/6.
[Summers, 398]
28. Pirated American
edition of “Oliver Twist”. Very rare.
20/-. SOLD.
29. Dickens
imitation, “Dombey and Daughter”, Penny numbers, each with crude cut, neatly
bound. Sells at Five pounds in London . My price £2-2-0. SOLD.
[Summers, 298]
30. Autobiography of
the Author of the above item (self-styled “Chief Baron Renton Nicholson”.) with
his autograph. This is a unique volume,
and of immense interest to Dickensians. £1.
SOLD.
31. “Tales of Chivalry; or Adventures
by Flood and Field”. Original cloth, each Penny number has a curious cut,
issued in 1839, but the condition is as if it was just off the press. £3-10-0.
[Tales of Chivalry,
Perils by Flood and Field. Summers,
523]
32. “Jack Harkaway at
School in America ”,
“Among the Pirates” and “At the Tales of Palms; the Last Stronghold of the
Black Flag”. These three tales selected
by E.J. Brett and issued as the “American Series”. One vol. 20/-.
33. The Brett “Tom
Floremall Series”, the three original series in one vol. 20/-.
34. Brett’s “Boyhood
Days of Jack Straw” and “Boyhood Days of Guy Fawkes”, the two in one neat
vol. 20/-.
[James & Smith, 335-336]
35. “The Corsican
Brothers; or the Fatal Duel”. Really a piracy of Dumas’ play and book of the
same title. 39 numbers, each with a
lurid cut. Magnificently bound. A perfect Collector’s Copy! 1852.
Published by Purkess, who ranked high among the “Blood” producers. 30/-.
36. A rare Lloyd
“Blood”: “Adeline, or the Grave of the Forsaken”. 52 most fearsomely illustrated number. First page was typed in by previous owner
from a complete copy. 25/-
[James & Smith, 542; Summers, 222]
37. “The Cottage Girl; or Betrayed on Her Marriage
Day”. Neatly bound, each number with
crude cut. 12/6.
[Elizabeth Bennett, The
Cottage Girl; or, The Marriage Day.
Summers, 285]
38. “Ada the Betrayed; or, the Murder in the Old
Smithy”. This tale is quite unprocurable
now. This is the original issue in
Lloyds Miscellany. 2 large vols with dozens of other loathsomely gory stories. This journal was issued without
illustrations. 2 vols. Dated 1842. 45/-
[James Malcolm Rymer, Ada the Betrayed; or, the Murder at the Old
Smithy. James & Smith, 541;
Summers, 221]
39. “The Ship-wrecked
Stranger”, in 49 crudely illustrated numbers. 1850. 7/6. SOLD.
[Hannah Maria Jones, The
Shipwrecked Stranger. Summers, 502]
40. “Rough and Ready
Jack”, and 2 other Bretts bound in one gorgeous volume. Mint order. 20/-. SOLD.
[James & Smith, 538]
41. The Green Eye of
the Little Yellow God Among Books [in red ink].
“The Pixy” by G.M.W. Reynolds. An Xmas story done in imitation of Dickens
Xmas books. The Great Auks Egg of
Rarities! [again in red ink] 2
illustrations. Small pocket size.
Original edition. 15/-. Sheer
chucked away at that price.
[G.W.M. Reynolds, The
Pixy; or, The Unbaptized Child. James & Smith, 528; Summers, 464-465]
42. 3 vols Fox’s
“Boys Leisure Hour” First page was typed in by previous owner from a complete
copy. 25/- £5.
43. 2 large vols “Boys Standard”. 3 smaller ones. £5.
44. “Boys Halfpenny
Standard”. One vol. £1-10-0.
45. “Young Men of
Great Britain”, from 1868 to finish as “Boys of Empire & Young Men of Great
Britain”. Approx 60 vols. £25.
46. Run of “Boys of
England” from Vol 1 (1866) to last vol (No 66) in 1899. Wanting a few between vols 20 and 40. £30.
Supplementary List of “Penny Number Bloods” at outrageously reduced
prices.
47. “The Wild Witch
of the Heath; or the Demon of the Glen”.
1841. Lacks the last number, but
contains some of the most luridly gory cuts in the history of fierce
literature. 25/-.
48. “The Secret Oath;
or the Bloodstained Dagger”. 1812. 7/6.
SOLD.
[Summers, 499]
49. “The She-Tiger;
or Felina the Female Fiend”. 1853.
Merely part of the tale, but an interesting example of ferocity. 7/6.
[Melchior Frédéric Soulié, The She Tiger of Paris: Containing a History of the Life and Adventures
of a Celebrated French Lady of Fashion, Under the Name of Felina de Cambure. James & Smith, 607; Summers, 501]
50. “The Horror of Zindorf Castle ”. A rare Lloyd “Blood”. 52 very
alluring cuts sublime in their crude ghastliness. 25/-.
[Vileroy; or,
the Horrors of Zindorf Castle. A Romance of Chivalry. James & Smith, 246; Summers, 547]
51. “The Cavern of
Horrors; or the Miseries of Miranda”.
1833. 10/-. SOLD.
[Summers, 270]
52. “The Black Monk; or the Secret of the Grey
Turret”. Lloyd. 1842. Wildly illustrated with blood-curdling cuts.
£5.
[James & Smith, 544; Summers, 248]
53. “Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street”. The rare Chas. Fox edition. Practically a reprint of the original Lloyd issue, with the addition of further gruesome details. Bound with “The Brigand of the Sea; or the Sailor Highwayman”, and another old-timer. Coloured wrappers and cuts. £12. Worth five times as much in
[James & Smith, 626; Summers, 519-521]
54. “The Revenge of
the Blighted Man”. Lloyd. With all the fierce cuts. 1844.
This is one right out of the box.
35/-.
[Possibly
55. “Melina the
Murderess; or the Crime at the Old Milestone”.
Cuts. 20/-. SOLD.
56. “Three Times
Dead; or the Trail of the Serpent”.
(Miss Braddon’s first story.) Original
issue in Half-penny Miscellany.
1864. Crude cuts. 20/-.
[Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Three
Times Dead; or, The Secret of the Heath.
Revised as The Trail of the
Serpent; or, The Secret of the Heath.
Summers, 15]
57. “The Wife’s
Tragedy; or the Secret of the London Sewers”.
1850. The 104 numbers of this
choice old “Blood” backs all the rest off the board. The quality of the cuts is indescribable! £2.
[Helen Porter; or, A
Wife’s Tragedy and a Sister’s Trials.
Drop-head title is “The Wife’s Tragedy: A Secret of the Sewers of
London.” James & Smith, 289]
58. “The Female
Bluebeard”. Many quaint cuts. (By Eugene Sue.) 10/-.
SOLD.
59. “The Cannibal
Courtezan”. Six humdinging cuts. 1866. 12/6.
SOLD. [May be an
invented title]
60. “The Parricide Priest;
or the Murder in the Monastery”.
Cuts. 15/-. SOLD. [May be an invented title]
61. “Mabel the
Marble-hearted; or the Outcast’s Revenge”. Cuts. 1842. 20/-. SOLD. [May be an invented title]
62. “The Outcasts of
London; or the perils of Pauline, the Victim of Crime.” The first seven instalments of this famous
story in an illustrated publication called The London Pioneer. 1844. 10/-.
63. “Mabel; or the Child
[JPQ has “Ghouls”] of the Battlefield”.
55 numbers, each with a gory cut.
Lloyd. 1846. 20/-. SOLD.
[James & Smith, 382]
64. “The Blue Dwarf;
or Love, Mystery and Crime”. With
coloured folding plates and innumerable fierce cuts. Coloured wrappers. 3 vols in one. £3-10-0.
[James & Smith, 573; Summers, 250]
65. “Wagner the
Wehr-Wolf” by Reynolds, and several other “Bloods” by the same author, in one
thick vol. 15/-.
[Summers, 550]
66. “The Loves and
Crimes of Paris ”. On its own as a thriller of the past. 29 numbers.
Vickers. London . 1846.
Damaged badly. 3/6.
[Paul Feval, The Loves
of
67. “Walter the
Archer; or the Robber Lords of the Mountains”.
Coloured wrapper. Scarce. Brett. 3/6.
SOLD.
[James & Smith, 684]
68. “Florence Graham;
or, the Pirate’s Daughter” [Quaine has “Penelope the Pirate’s Daughter]. Lloyd.
1847. Crude cuts. 20/-.
[James & Smith, 515]
69. “The Death Grasp;
or the Father’s Curse”. Weird cuts. 20/-.
SOLD.
[James & Smith, 476]
70. “Rook the
Robber”. 32 numbers. Cuts.
Dicks. London .
1868. 35/-.
[James & Smith, 160-161]
71. “Under the
Blood-Red Flag; or at War with the World”.
Cuts. 10/-.
72. “The Murder of
Maria Marten in the Red Barn at Polstead”, with all the strange
engravings. Original edition. 1828.
Polished calf. Very rare. £4.
SOLD.
[Maria Marten; or, The
Murder in the Red Barn. Summers,
400-401]
73. “Burke and Hare,
the Body snatchers”, with appropriate cuts.
Neat little vol. Well bound.
30/-
[Summers, 256]
74. “The Bravo of Venice ”, by ‘Monk’
Lewis. Early edition, with fine
frontispiece. Only 7/6.
[Summers, 252-253]
75. “The Robber
Foundling”, a rare Lloyd “Blood”. Weird
cuts. 25/-.
[Possibly The Robber
Chief; or, The Foundling of the
76. “William Tell,
the Patriot of the Mountains”.
Cuts. Scarce. 10/-.
[Possibly William
Tell, the Hero of
77. “The Mysterious
Avengers; or the Voice of Blood”.
Cuts. (Mentioned by George
Saintsbury in one of his essays.) Rare.
15/-. [May be an invented title]
78. “Ela the Outcast;
or the Gypsy of Rosemary Dell”, by Prest, the author of Sweeny Todd. (This work has been mentioned by Sala, as the
before-mentioned Author’s best seller.)
Many fierce cuts. 35/-. SOLD.
[James & Smith, 478; Summers, 305]
79. “The Wreck of a
Heart; or the Trials of Agnes Primrose”.
Really a travesty of Mrs Inchbalds “Nature and Art”, but a better tale
because it has a more reasonable conclusion, melodramatic and gory. Cuts.
20/-.
80. “The Lady in Black; or the Wanderer of the Tombs”, by
Prest. Lloyd. London .
1844. Gory cuts. 40/-. [May be an invented title]
[Possibly The Lady in
Black; or, The Widow and the Wife.
James & Smith, 558]
81. “The Doom of the
Dancing Master”. Original periodical
issue, with all the crude illustrations.
10/6. In book form also 10/-.
82. “The Gypsy Chief;
or the Haunted Oak, a Tale of the Other Days”.
This most sensational story is now rare in the weekly form. Many plates.
10/-. SOLD.
83. “Fatherless
Fanny; or the Misfortunes of a Little Mendicant”. Plates.
A morally immoral old story. Now
scarce. 5/-. SOLD.
[Fatherless fanny; or,
A Young Lady’s First Entrance into Life, Being the Memoirs of a Little
Mendicant and Her Benefactors.
Summers, 320-321]
84. “Doctor or Demon;
or the Doom of the Deloraines”. Original
periodical issue. 1882. 10/6.
SOLD.
85. “The Dance of
Death; or the Hangman’s Plot.”
Cuts. 1874. 10/6.
SOLD.
[James & Smith, 80]
86. “Edith the
Captive; or the Robbers of Epping Forest ”. 104 cuts.
Fine copy. 40/-.
[James & Smith, 549]
87. “Ruth the
Betrayer”. Fine copy. Many cuts. 15/-.
SOLD.
[James & Smith, 162]
88. “Barnfylde Moore
Carew, the Gypsy Gentleman”. 12
cuts. Rare. 10/-.
SOLD.
89. Emalinda, the
Orphan of the Castle”. Cuts. 10/-. SOLD.
90. “Jessie the Morgue-keepers Daughter”. Gruesome cuts. 1845.
20/-. SOLD.
[Jessie the Mormon’s
Daughter. James and Smith, 293; Summers, 375]
91. “The Mysteries of
the Dissecting Room”. Horrific
cuts. 1846. 20/-.
SOLD.
[Possibly Secrets of
the Dissecting Room]
92. “The Maniac
Mother; or the Victim of Vice”.
Damaged. 10/6. SOLD. [May be an invented title]
93. “The Monk”, by
‘Monk’ Lewis. The Penny number Lloyd
issues, with most fearsome cuts. 1848.
£2. SOLD.
[Summers, 419-426]
94. “The Profligate
Pope; or the Mysteries of the Vatican ”. Cuts in keeping with the Title and text. 1866.
20/-. SOLD. [May be an invented title]
95. “The Mysteries of
the Inquisition”, by Reynolds.
1846. Contained in the rare first
volume of the London Journal. Terrific
cuts. 20/-.
[James & Smith, 213; Summers, 434]
96. “The Mysteries of
Bedlam; or the Annals of a madhouse”.
Cuts. 25/-. SOLD.
97. “Vipont the
Vulture”, an imitation of that rara avis midst “Bloods” – Varney the Vampire;
or The Feast of Blood.) The cuts are
glorious in their repellancy. £2. SOLD. [May be an invented title]
98. “Tyburn Dick, the
Boy King of the Highwayman; or Take Me Who Dare”. The prosecuted issue of this rather ‘over the
fence’ story, Mint order. Neatly bound with two other similar tales. £4.
SOLD.
[Tyborn Dick, the
Prince of Highwaymen. Cover has the
title Tyborn Dick; or, Take Me Who Dare. James & Smith, 669]
99. “Turnpike Dick,
the Star of the Road”. The desirable
Chas. Fox edition, with all the coloured
wrappers. 3 vols. (60 numbers) in
one. £3.
[James & Smith, 348]
100. “The Headless
Horseman”. Original edition. 1866.
Half calf. £10.
101. “Robin Hood; or
the Merry Men of Sherwood”. Pierce Egan’s
original Penny number edition.
1841. 40/-.
[Possibly Pierce Egan the Younger, Robin Hood and Little
102. The same tale,
re-issued in 1865, different cuts. Three
coloured plates. 10/-.
103. “Robin
Hood”. Hogarth House edition, by George
Emmet. Mint copy. Crude cuts.
Three copies. 15/- each.
[James & Smith, 185]
104. “Jack Cade, the
Rebel of London ”. 1851.
Cuts. Last number out. SOLD.
[Jack Cade, the
Insurrectionist; A Tale of the olden Times.
Summers, 372]
105. “Wat Tyler”, by
Pierce Egan. Original edition 1844. With
fierce cuts. Damaged. 7/6.
[Summers, 553]
106. Same tale,
reprint with different cuts. 1864. 10/-.
107. “The Black
Bandits of the Rhine ”, with four other
tales. Cuts. 20/-.
108. “The Ned Nimble
Series”, in 2 large vols, with all the coloured wrappers of the 11 vols. £4-4-0.
109. The World Famous
Deadwood Dick Series. 5 vols containing
the original ALDINE run from No. 1 “The Outlaw of the Black
Hills ” to No. 58.
Absolutely unobtainable anywhere else in the Universe. Actually dumped at £25.
110. The original
Harkaway Series running through the Boys of England , 1871-1878. £20.
111. The original
Penny Number and Shilling volume edition, sumptuously bound in 4 gilt-backed
vols. With all the coloured wrappers. An exhibition set, lettered “Jack Harkaway”
and decorated with crossed swords, an anchor and a sailing ship in gold
ornament. £20.
112. The Hogarth
House Series of the American “Jack Harkaway”.
The set of seven with all the gory coloured wrappers and fierce crude
cuts in one thick volume. £6-10-0.
113. “The Wild Riders
of the Staked Plains; or Jack the Hero of Texas”, and 12 other equally choice
“O’er Land and Sea” series, on one vol.
30/-.
114. “Sawney Bean,
the Man-eater of Midlothian ”. Fierce frontispiece. 20/-.
SOLD. [invented title]
115. “The Nameless
Crimes of the Quaker
City ; or Devilbug the
One-eyed Ghoul”. A rare American
Dime-a-number Dreadful. Large thick vol.
15/-. SOLD.
[George Lippard's The Quaker City; or, The Monks of Monk Hall]
[George Lippard's The Quaker City; or, The Monks of Monk Hall]
116. “The Headsman of
Old London Bridge ”,
and another Brett “Blood”. 1 vol. 15/-.
[James & Smith, 255]
117. “The Hunchback of Old St Pauls”, and 2 others in one
vol. 20/-.
118. “Alone in the
Pirate’s Lair”, “The Brigand Muleteer; or the Scourge of the Pyrenees ”,
and “Alone Among the Brigands”. 2
vols. 35/-.
[James & Smith, 616-617, 77]
119. “Boys of England ”, the last 26 vols. 1884 to
1899. £20. A gift.
120. Reynolds
“Mysteries of London ”.
Original Penny numbers in 4 vols. 20/-.
121. Reynolds
“Mysteries of the Court of London”.
Original issue. 8 vols. 30/-. SOLD.
122. “Catalina; or
the Spaniard’s Revenge”. 9 numbers. Cuts. 1847.
20/-.
[James & Smith, 287]
123. “Jane Shore the
Goldsmith’s Wife”. Original numbers,
bound. 7/6.
[Summers, 374]
124. “The Jester’s
Revenge, or the Seven Masks”, and three others in the one vol. 20/-.
SOLD.
[Summers, 375]
125. “Under the Black
Flag”, and 2 others in 1 vol. 25/-.
SOLD.
[Possibly Under the
Pirate’s Flag. James & Smith,
671]
126. “The Maniac’s
Secret”, and 6 others in one vol. No
cuts. 7/6.
127. “The Rival
Hangman”. 3 numbers only, all that were
issued. 3 cuts. 1870. 5/-.
SOLD.
128. “The Ruin of the
Rector’s Daughter”. Weird cuts. London . 1848.
20/-.
[Possibly Emma
Mayfield; or, the Rector’s Daughter.
Summers, 309]
129. “The Black Band;
or the Mysteries at Midnight ”. (Miss Braddon’s early blood) Cuts by Dore. 20/-.
[James & Smith, 66]
130. “The Secrets of
the Old House at West St .” (Jonathon Wild’s House). One of the most blood-freezing of the old Bloods. In 2 vols.
104 cuts. SOLD for £10.
[The Old House of West Street ; or, London in the last Century. James & Smith, 503; Summer, 541]
131. “The Hebrew
Maiden; or the Lost Diamond”. (A piracy
of Scott’s Ivanhoe). A rare 1841 Lloyd. Crude cuts.
Damaged badly. 15/-.
[James & Smith, 488; Summers, 349]
132. “Black Plume,
the Demon of the Ocean”, and ten other small bloods, with coloured
wrappers. Now rare. 15/-.
SOLD.
133. “The Ghost of
Inchvally castle, a Tale, alas, too true”.
Old cuts. 1821. 7/6.
134. “The Smuggler
King; or the Wolf of the Wave”. Second
half only. Cuts. 10/-.
[Possibly The Smuggler
King; or, The Foundling of the Wreck. James & Smith, 509]
135. “Powerful
Dramatic Tales”. 6 large vols of
Romantic Dramas, each with coloured cover and cuts. £5.
136. The Demon of
Brickarhein; or the Enchanted Ring”.
Bound with “Wolfgang; or the Wreckers Beacon”. Both extracted and bound from the Australian
Journal of 1876 and 1877. rare. 1
vol. 7/6.
[Should be "The Demon of Brockenheim"]
[Should be "The Demon of Brockenheim"]
137. “Black-Eyed
Susan”, “The Pirate’s Isle”, and 2 others.
Coloured wrappers. Cuts. In one vol.
30/-.
[James & Smith, 165-166, 182]
138. “Manualla, the
Executioner’s Daughter”. 2 vols (should be 3).
Frontispiece. 5/-
Contents of both lists cheap at £200.
ADDENDA 1945
139. Vols 1 and 2 of the “Boys Comic Journal” in one thick vol. 45/-.
140. Number of vols
of “Young Men of Great Britain”, several vols.
Cloth or paper covers. 25/- each.
141. “Boys of the Empire and Young Men of Great Britain”, several vols. Cloth or paper covers. 25/- each.
142. Rehash of the
Brett’s Journals issued in the early 1900s under the title of “Up-to-date Boys”
and later “Boys of Empire”, slightly broken run to finish in 1906. 27 vols. £15.
143. Miscellaneous
vols, such as “Boys Champion Journal” 1891, “Our Boys Paper”, “Boys Weekly
Reader”, “Our Boys Journal”, etc. 30/- each.
144. About 600 of the
Aldine Library, Penny, Twopenny and Threepenny Tales. All in Mint order, with coloured
wrappers. £30 the lot. SOLD SOME.
145. “Robert Macaire the French Bandit in England ”. Gorgeous vol.
Cloth Gilt. 1847. £3-10-0.
[Summers, 480]
146. “Ada the Betrayed; or the
Murder in the Old Smithy”. Original
Penny Numbers. Bound in one vol, with
all the fierce cuts. 1847. £3-10-0.
[James & Smith, 541]
147. “Sweeny Todd the
Demon Barber of Fleet Street”. Original
Chas. Fox edition. (First time the
‘Demon’ was used in the Title). With
Coloured wrapper, bound with “For Honour” by Burrage, and “The Brigands of the
Sea; or the sailor Highwayman”, also with a fierce cover. “Sweeny” by itself is almost priceless in England . Costs, when found, up to £20. (The 1851 edition went to £30). This vol is cheap at a tenner.
[James & Smith, 626; Summers, 519-521]
148. “Cartouche, the
French Jack Sheppard”. Very rare Fox
item published 1897. £1.
[James & Smith, 682; Summers, 262]
149. Brett, Fox and
Hogarth House Shilling vols, some in paper, others cased, with coloured
wrappers preserved; also 15 in
limp cloth, without coloured wrappers.
Worth marked prices, ranging from 15/- to 30/- each.
150. “The Handsome
Harry Series”. Original “Best for Boys”
edition, in one thick vol. Finishes at
“Young Ching Ching”. £5-10-0.
151. Another vol.
Hogarth House: “Handsome Harry and Cheerful Ching Ching”. Cloth £2.
SOLD.
152. The same, bound
with Willie Grey” and “Young Tom Wildrake”.
Coloured frontispiece. £5.
153. “Slapcrash Boys”
and “Black Bandits of the Rhine ”, in one vol.
£1.
154. 10 vols
“Australian News” and “Melbourne Post”, between 1860 and 1881. Worth at least £50.
155. Volume of “Melbourne Herald”
1865. (Bushranging year, Morgan, Hall,
Gilbert, etc). £2.
156. “Golden Hours”,
rehash issued in the nineties, of various American Boys papers and Burrage’s
Ching Ching own”. 3 large vols. £3.
157. “Spring-heeled
Jack, the Terror of London”. Vols 2,3,4, bound with two fierce coloured
frontispieces. £2.
[James & Smith, 347; Summers, 513]
158. “Shot and Shell”
Series. Hogarth House. Five of the original six. With coloured wrappers intact, and duplicate
“Captain Jack”. £2.
John P Quaine's copy of The Lady in Black
Many thanks, James. I look forward to reading through the catalogue more slowly later tonight (here in Wash DC). Seeing some of these titles reminds me of the half dozen or so similiar ones that Oscar Wilde presumably made up for "The Canterville Ghost." Creating convincing Penny Dreadful titles might make an excellent party game.--md
ReplyDeleteIn John Edgar Browning's edition of Summers's The Vampire His Kith and Kin,he posits that the catalogue reference to the author and publisher of The Skeleton Clutch as "T.Prest" and "E.Loyd" is a joke meaning "elude the priest". While I love Browning's work, this seems a bit far fetched as surely he'd know that Prest and Loyd were a noted duo who wrote/published many penny dreadfuls.
ReplyDeleteYou're referring to the Prologue, which was authored by esteem Summers scholar Dr. Gerard P. O’Sullivan.
DeleteMy bad! I have to say I still don't buy the "elude the priest" theory. Thanks for the correction, John
DeleteAlso, No. 115 is obviously a retitling of George Lippard's The Quaker City or The Monk's of Monk Hall.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michael and Sandy. I much prefer "Devilbug the One-Eyed Ghoul."
DeleteWhile reading your list, I was pondering the "Sawney Beane" title and the little bit of reading I've done about the real-life Sawney Bean, and I remembered there was some scholarly debate about whether or not he is even real. I wonder now about the likelihood of an incredibly tiny press run of "Sawney Beane" penny dreadfuls being repeated as fact by others and then the originals being lost and forgotten. In any case, thank you for the thought-provoking and interesting textual tidbits!
ReplyDeleteAfter posting this comment I did more reading. I did not realize how old the Sawney Bean legend is! There's no way it came from anything printed!
DeleteThanks for the comments The Malum! One intriguing thing about the phantom Sawney Bean penny dreadful is that George C. Foster claimed to have seen it in the collection of Barry Ono: you can read the article in issue 16 of the Collectors Digest: http://www.friardale.co.uk/Collectors%20Digest/1948-04-CollectorsDigest-v02-n016.pdf The article was published long after Ono's death, but it is clearly one of those books that people want to believe existed!
Delete