THE BLACK ARROW by Stevenson, Robert Louis - 1888

1888. A Tale of the Two Roses. London, Paris, New York & Melbourne: Cassell & Company, 1888. 4 pp undated ads plus 16 pp ads dated July 1888. Original red cloth decorated in black. First English Edition of this historical tale of adventure and romance, published about six weeks after the New York one. Stevenson wrote this entire novel in the Spring of 1883, for serial appearance in "Young Folks" (where TREASURE ISLAND had then just appeared, likewise by "Capt. George North"). He wrote not only rapidly but also carelessly: proofreaders had to alert him to inconsistencies in his plot and characters. Stevenson derided the work as "tushery"; neither he nor his British publisher considered it worth publishing in book form. However, in 1887 the American publisher McClure sought it out for American serialization, which in turn prompted Scribner's to publish it, followed by Cassell. A tough book to find in truly fine condition, this one is very good-plus, with minor cover soil and fading, but very little wear other than a cracked front endpaper. Beinecke 481 (these July ads); Princeton 40A.