The Two Magics by James, Henry - 1898

London: William Heinemann, 1898 First edition, second impression, domestic issue. Publisher's decorative blue cloth (Heinemann's first standard binding), with an illustration to the front board of four irises in blind, lettered in gilt, printed on laid paper (domestic sheets). About very good, with some light rubbing to the extremities, spine lightly starting inside the front cover, paper hinge cracked but holding inside the rear cover, former owner's inscription to the front free endpaper, some spotting to the endpapers, otherwise bright and clean pages. Overall, a presentable copy. Edel and Laurence A52a. This copy of The Two Magics is a second impression of the first edition as evidenced by the "New edition" imprint on the verso of the title page. However, it is bound in Heinemann's first standard binding, which was typically reserved for the first issue of the first edition. Edel and Laurence note that, following copies such as this one, the "remaining copies of the second impression were issued in the second standard binding, frequently mixed with colonial and domestic sheets, and lacking the 32 pp. of advertisements at the back." Accordingly, the first standard binding indicates that this copy is one of the earlier issues of the second impression. The Two Magics collects two pieces of James' short fiction: the novella "The Turn of the Screw" and the short story "Covering End." Now a classic and one of James' best known tales, "The Turn of the Screw" is a gothic ghost story that tells of a governess' experience caring for two children who are haunted by the ghosts of their past caretakers. "Covering End" is James' adaptation for the one-act play Summersoft he wrote in 1895 for the actress Ella Terry.. Very Good.