Joe Skinner (Only Copy)

Arthur Scott Craven

Published by Elkin Mathews, Vigo Street, London, 1907

About this Item

First Edition (Elkin Mathews= NAP, MCMVII on title page). Here is a very rare book, in fact there is no other for sale anywhere on the Internet. actually that was his stage name and the nom de plume for the actor and author A.K.H. (Arthur Keedwell Harvey) James. From a clipping of his death notice: 'News has been received that Capt. Arthur Keedwell Harvey James, East Kent R. (The Buffs), was killed while leading his men into action on April 14th. He was the younger son of the late Mr. Stephen Harvey James, I.C.S., formerly Secretary of the Government of India in the Legislative Department, and of Mrs. Harvey James of Westward Ho! The deceased officer at one time took up literary work in India, but on returning to England, he went on the stage under the name of Scott Craven, under which he wrote many well-known literary works.' James was 41 at the time of his death. As you can see from the photos, the covers have held up pretty well. There are a couple of small stains on the front and one somewhat larger one off the bottom edge of the rear, just off the bottom edge. There's also a bump/crease on the rear cover just off the middle edge. The covers have a little toning at their margins. The edges and corners are in very good shape. The two bottom corners have just a speck-sized spot of rub-through. The gilt lettering on the front and on the spine is very bright. The spine ends are in good shape. The page edges look clean. The book is square and solidly bound from cover to cover. I'm not seeing any binding issues between any of the pages or between the covers and any of the pages. The covers are tightly bound. The pages are in nice condition. On the whole, they are very clean. There is a small brown spot in the same place (away from the print) on a number of consecutive pages. That's the case actually in two instances. It's quite minor (I've provided two photographs). I don't see any creasing on any of the pages. There is spotting/foxing on the inside covers and end papers, also on the half-title page and on the last page of the book which is actually an advertisement of a previous work of the author's titled Poems In Divers Keys (I also could not find a copy of that book for sale on the Internet). I have read that it was the first collected edition of his work in verse. The last four pages of the book offer 'Some Opinions Of The Press' with regard to this collection. Excluding these four pages, the book, the poem, runs 43 pages. There's a dedication page that reads 'To My Small Son, Basil, In His Third Year And My Smaller Daughter, Olive, In Her First, This Singular Poem Entitled Joe Skinner Is Most Lovingly Inscribed' (to be clear, he did not actually sign or inscribe it). Getting back to condition, there are no markings anywhere in the book, there are no attachments of any kind. And no one has written their name or anything else anywhere. Seller Inventory # 003294

Bibliographic Details

Title: Joe Skinner (Only Copy)

Publisher: Elkin Mathews, Vigo Street, London

Publication Date: 1907

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st Edition