NOT FAR FROM THE SMOKE. Inscribed by the Author.
London: Frederick Muller Ltd., 29 Great James Street, W.C.1, [1935]. First Edition. Octavo, original terracotta cloth, black lettering on spine. [295] pp, Ilustrated with Photographs, Index at rear. Inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper: "To Edward Takach as a slight token of my gratitude for all his kindnesses to me during a stay in Budapest in July 1939 - Frederick Cowles". The frontispiece plate has come loose and someone (Takach?) has reglued it down between the paste-down and the front free endpaper; cloth slightly dusty but overall an attractive and clean copy, very good indeed. Item #312533
¶ Subtitled "Being a series of Adventures and Excursions In and Around Five Provincial Cities", this is one of Cowles' early travelogues in which he explores obscure and interesting places in old England, relating anecdotes and local folklore with his charming style. Issued just before Cowles' two exceedingly rare ghost story collections (THE NIGHT WIND HOWLS, Muller, 1936 & THE HORROR AT ABBOTTS GRANGE, Muller, 1939), the pair of which recently fetched over $13,000 at Heritage Auctions (from Gary Munson's collection, and those weren't even his better copies). Mind you, our inscribed Cowles is not a collection of supernatural fiction, but he does relate at least half-a-dozen Ghost Stories within the text, and his retelling of local folklore is superb - and books signed or inscribed by Cowles are quite rare.
Price (USD): $450.00