The Red Thumb Mark

R Austin Freeman

Published by Collingwood Bros, London, 1907

About this Item

A scarce, signed first edition of R Austin Freeman"s first Dr Thorndyke novel. Thorndyke was the world"s first ever fictional forensic scientist and his methods of solving crimes were based on collecting data and making inferences on them. This is the first appearance of Thorndyke, in a legacy of twenty-one novels and over forty short stories. Freeman ensured that the methods used by Thorndyke in his novels were practical and conducted all the experiments in the stories himself. A very bright example of the book to the front board. With a custom designed modern photocopied dustwrapper. This dustwrapper was not issued with the book originally, and was made later by a previous owner. We have kept the dustwrapper with the book to protect the detail to the boards. "The Red Thumb Mark" revolves in part around the Thumbograph which launched in 1904 by Dow & Lester. A Thumbograph/Thumb o"Graphs was a way of collecting people"s thumbprints as autographs. It consisted of a book of blank pages with a page of instructions and an ink pad attached to one of the covers. Dr Thorndyke felt these inventions to be dangerous as he felt that false fingerprints could be replicated if one was to get their hands on a Thumbograph. This copy of the book was gifted from the author to "his friend" and dated 21st august 1909 to the front endpaper. In a black cloth binding with white title and red thumb print to front board. In a custom amateur dustwrapper. Externally, smart with some light bumping to the extremities, with light wear to the head and tail of the spine and some light rubbing to the boards. Ex Libris bookplate to front pastedown. Signed by the author to the front free-endpaper. Internally, generally firmly bound although slightly strained in places. Pages age toned but generally clean. Very Good Indeed. Seller Inventory # EXP3-B-20

Bibliographic Details

Title: The Red Thumb Mark

Publisher: Collingwood Bros, London

Publication Date: 1907

Binding: Hardback

Illustrator: None

Condition: Very Good Indeed

Signed: signed by author

Edition: First edition.

Book Type: book