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The Vampyre; A Tale

The Vampyre; A Tale

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The Vampyre; A Tale

by Polidori, John William

  • Used
  • Fine
  • Hardcover
Condition
Fine
Seller
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Tucson, Arizona, United States
Item Price
£6,104.25
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About This Item

London: Printed for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones, 1819. First edition. Hardcover. Fine. 8vo. xxv,(1),27-84pp. Sherwood, Neely, and Jones' Third Issue. Half-title is present. The 'Extract', pp. 73-84, is present. Both Extracts are sometimes attributed to John Mitford. Nicely bound to style in quarter calf, spine gilt; leather lettering label, gilt; marbled paper boards, vellum tips. A fine copy.
This title has a curious bibliographic history, with first issues attributing authorship to Lord Byron, then removing Byron's name, then this issue (Viets IV), with gathering 'A' reset to 23 lines to account for the removal of a slur on Mary Godwin and Jane Clermont and with 'lmost' on page 36. Earlier issues are nearly unavailable, making this essentially the earliest printing obtainable of the first book on vampires. See Viets in PBSA LXIII (1969), 83-103.

Synopsis

The Vampyre is a short story written by John William Polidori and first published in 1819. Christopher Frayling wrote that it was "the first story successfully to fuse the disparate elements of vampirism into a coherent literary genre." The work quickly became a popular success, exploiting the public's penchant for gothic horror and transforming the mythology of the vampire from a creature of folklore to an aristocratic fiend preying on society.

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Details

Bookseller
Thorn Books US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
17887
Title
The Vampyre; A Tale
Author
Polidori, John William
Format/Binding
Hardcover
Book Condition
Used - Fine
Quantity Available
1
Edition
First edition
Publisher
Printed for Sherwood, Neely, and Jones
Place of Publication
London
Date Published
1819
Bookseller catalogs
Rare Books;

Terms of Sale

Thorn Books

All books returnable for any reason within seven days, providing only that they are received in the same condition as shipped. Shipments to an Arizona address must add appropriate sales tax. Libraries billed.

About the Seller

Thorn Books

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2003
Tucson, Arizona

About Thorn Books

Thorn Books offers antiquarian, rare and out-of-print books. Frequently updated catalogues are available online in our specialty areas: King Arthur; Early Britain; Western Americana; California; Literature; and Rare Books. We are open by appointment only. Thorn Books is a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers of American (ABAA), the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB), and the Independent League of Online Booksellers (IOBA).

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Vellum
Vellum is a sheet of specialty prepared skin of lamb, calf, or goat kid used for binding a book or for printing and writing. ...
Spine
The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
First Edition
In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Calf
Calf or calf hide is a common form of leather binding. Calf binding is naturally a light brown but there are ways to treat the...
Marbled Paper
Decorative colored paper that imitates marble with a veined, mottled, or swirling pattern. Commonly used as the end papers or...

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