Details
[EDWIN DROOD]. -- MORFORD, Henry (1823-1881), attributed to. John Jasper's Secret: being a Narrative of Certain Events following and explaining "The Mystery of Edwin Drood". London: Printed by Wyman & Sons for Publishing Offices, October 1871-May 1872.
8 parts, 8o (225 x 140 mm). 20 wood-engraved plates (some occasional light spotting, plates loose in part 5). Original blue printed pictorial wrappers (spines chipped, some minor soiling); green cloth chemise and quarter morocco slipcase. Provenance: Kenyon Starling.
FIRST ENGLISH EDITION IN ORIGINAL MONTHLY PARTS of an early unauthorized and anonymous sequel of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. First published in Philadelphia in 1871, the work is attributed to American journalist and author Henry Morford. Morford believed that Dickens had unwittingly supplied hints regarding the unwritten portions of Edwin Drood and threw himself into the laborious task of gatherering additional information and visiting locales he thought pertinent to the story. Morford wrote that the authors of this work "... are conveying a benefit as well as a pleasure to the world in setting partially at rest the multitudinous speculations to which the non-explanation of the MYSTERY has given rise... they have carried out, however feebly, what they have fully traced and identified as the intention of the author, every intrinsic and extrinsic fact and hint being carefully considered. Thus they make no apology..." ("Prospectus," part 1). The end result, which met with a certain amount of disproval, was nonetheless considered a commerical success. This set includes most advertisements called for in Sadleir (except advertisements called for between pp.16-17 in part 1 and pp.144-145 in part 5). Sadleir 705; Yale/Gimbel H330.
8 parts, 8
FIRST ENGLISH EDITION IN ORIGINAL MONTHLY PARTS of an early unauthorized and anonymous sequel of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. First published in Philadelphia in 1871, the work is attributed to American journalist and author Henry Morford. Morford believed that Dickens had unwittingly supplied hints regarding the unwritten portions of Edwin Drood and threw himself into the laborious task of gatherering additional information and visiting locales he thought pertinent to the story. Morford wrote that the authors of this work "... are conveying a benefit as well as a pleasure to the world in setting partially at rest the multitudinous speculations to which the non-explanation of the MYSTERY has given rise... they have carried out, however feebly, what they have fully traced and identified as the intention of the author, every intrinsic and extrinsic fact and hint being carefully considered. Thus they make no apology..." ("Prospectus," part 1). The end result, which met with a certain amount of disproval, was nonetheless considered a commerical success. This set includes most advertisements called for in Sadleir (except advertisements called for between pp.16-17 in part 1 and pp.144-145 in part 5). Sadleir 705; Yale/Gimbel H330.