King in Yellow by Chambers, 1895 Neely, First Edition (5 results)

Condition: Near Fine. First edition. Of the three printings with the title page dated 1895, this is generally accepted as the second printing. Bound in publisher's original green cloth stamped in brown with monogram on front cover, butterfly on rear, and frontis portrait depicting the author painting. Near Fine with slight lean to binding, minor wear to extremities. Former owner's name on front free endpaper, contents lightly toned. An early collection of short horror stories which would serve as an influence to H. P. Lovecraft.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition; 1st Printing. SIGNED EDITION. This copy has been signed by Vincent Starrett on the reverse of the front endpaper, and also includes Vincent Starrett's bookplate on the front pastedown page. "Small octavo, pp. [1-2] [1-9] 10-316 [317: ad] [318: blank], pictorial cloth in green, with a rectangular patch in brown, with a lizard and Neely's Prismatic Library as part of the interior. The top edge of the text block has gilding, The frontis and bottom edges of the text block are untrimmed. There are three printings with title pages dated 1895, this particular one is generally accepted as the first. There is no inserted frontispiece and page [318] is blank. The sheet bulk is 1.5 cm. " This book is in Very Good condition and is lacking the scarce dust jacket. The book cover has spots of foxing and the green cloth has darkened a bit in general. The text pages are clean and bright. "The book countains nine short stories and a sequence of poems; while the first stories belong to the genres of supernatural horror and weird fiction, The King in Yellow progressively transitions towards a more light-hearted tone, ending with romantic stories devoid of horror or supernatural elements. The horror stories are highly esteemed, and it has been described by critics such as E. F. Bleiler and T. E. D. Klein as a classic in the field of the supernatural. Lin Carter called it "an absolute masterpiece, probably the single greatest book of weird fantasy written in this country between the death of Poe and the rise of Lovecraft", and it was an influence on Lovecraft himself. " (from Wikipedia). It appears that H. P. Lovecraft read this book and found it inspiring of his own works, especially in regards to the Cthulu Mythos. ; Signed by Associated.

Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. Faint toning, (that is barely noticeable, but necessary to mention) to front and rear boards - see image. ; Book is in excellent condtion, with no issues. Scarce copy in this condition. "There are 10 stories, the first four of which ("The Repairer of Reputations", "The Mask", "In the Court of the Dragon", and "The Yellow Sign") mention The King in Yellow, a forbidden play which induces despair or madness in those who read it." [wikipedia] " no frontispiece. Top edge gilt. Similar date of 1895 on both title and copyright pages. Page [318] is blank. ; 16mo 6" - 7" tall; 316 pages.

Small octavo, pp. [1-2] [1-9] 10-316 [317: ad] [318: blank], original pictorial green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in brown, top edge gilt, other edges untrimmed. First edition. Of the three printings with title pages dated 1895, this one is generally accepted as the first. There is no inserted frontispiece, page [318] is blank, lizard design is on the front cover, and sheets bulk 1.5 cm. The author's second book and first collection of short stories. "One of the most important works of supernatural horror between Edgar Allan Poe and modern horror fiction." - Bleiler (ed), Supernatural Fiction Writers: Fantasy and Horror, p. 739. "Surprisingly vital stories, undoubtedly the best work that Chambers did. A landmark book in abandoning the ghosts of Victorian literary tradition and concentrating on the nightmare." - Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 364. ". one of the basic documents in the history of fantastic fiction." - Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 396. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 364. Survey of Modern Fantasy Literature II, pp. 844-47. Barron (ed), Horror Literature 2-12. Sargent, British and American Utopian Literature, 1516-1985, Additions. Tymn (ed), Horror Literature 3-49. Private owner's armorial bookplate affixed to the front paste-down and name, address and date, July 1895," on front free endpaper. Mild foxing to spine panel, faint ghosting on title page from bookplate and writing on endpapers, but overall, a very attractive copy. (#162322).

Condition: Very Good+. First Edition. First edition; of the three printings with title pages dated 1895, this is generally accepted as the first. The author's own copy, signed by Chambers on the front free endpaper "1895 -- April 8th / New York / City". This book was published at the end of March 1895 making this a very early inscription. Bound in publisher's original green cloth stamped in brown, with top edge gilt. Very Good+ with slight lean to binding, toning to spine, light wear and minor soiling; contents lightly tanned. A clipping of the author's photographic portrait tipped in to front pastedown--there was no inserted frontispiece in this printing, but they are present in later printings. An early collection of short horror stories which would serve as an influence to H. P. Lovecraft.