The Quest for Bloods.
London: Privately printed, 1997. First Edition. Hardcover. Quarto. xii + 220pp. Original black cloth with gilt lettering to spine. Illustrated endpapers, b&w illlustrations. Although best known as a scholar of occultism, mysticism, and Freemasonry, A. E. Waite also had a passion for the adventurous, and often bloody-thirsty pulp novellas of the Victorian age, known as "Penny Dreadfuls." This work comprises a previously unpublished long essay by Waite on Penny Dreadfuls, Waite's checklist of Penny Dreadfuls and related magazines, an Index to the essay and checklist, and an anthology of Penny Dreadful-type stories, including two complete stories by Waite and two long "openings" of lengthier works which were never completed. The book has an Introduction by Waite's biographer R. A. Gilbert, and a Preface by Ayresome Johns. It was planned that "a small number of copies" of "The Quest for Bloods" would be issued, signed and numbered by the editor, and "issued with one or more original penny numbers." It seems that 4 copies with additional material were handled by George Locke - whether any others were issued thus is unknown to the cataloguer. This copy has space for the Penny number - which has been filled in as copy number "0" of "0" copies, and is SIGNED by Locke next to his pen-name [ Ayresome Johns ] on the title page and by R. A. Gilbert at the end of his Introduction. Whatever the total limitation of the printing it must have been miniscule, as the book is scarce in any form. Some rubbing and light marks to rear board, light smudge to lower edge of front endpaper, else a tight, clean near Fine copy in VG+ dust jacket. Dust jacket spine quite faded (as seemingly always with this title) and with several tiny chips pin-head sized tears/indentations, lightly rubbed overall, not clipped. Now in protective removable mylar cover. Item #64479
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