This book is one of twenty specially bound copies of The
Hunting of the Snark printed in 1876 by Macmillan for Dodgson to give away to
friends. The dark blue cloth variant is usuallyinscribed by the author and a
census of known copies has I gather been recently compiled . This copy is
unusual in not being inscribed ( and therefore unspoilt!)
In September 2006 I searched ABE the book search engine, as
I frequently did in those days and saw this book for sale as a first edition in
very good condition. I was a little worried by the description – the cloth was
blue and not beige as the first 10,000 copies were. Either the book had been
coloured or dyed, or the bookseller was colour blind or….it was one of the
special twenty copies. It took a few days to arrive from New Zealand ( the
Snark being popular among the Maouri), a few seconds to unwrap and ….a moment
of glory when one is forgiven for many previous extravagancies. I paid the
going rate for a first edition of the 1876 Snark. A green cloth variant,
uninscribed, in poorer condition than this fine copy, sold at auction in 2005
for a shade under £2000.
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