The Sign of Four. This item is unavailable.The Sign of Four

First U.K. edition. 283 pages + Charles Kerr illustrated frontispiece. Third issue, bound in the distinctive dark red cloth, lettered and decorated in gilt and black, stamped Griffith Farran & Cos Standard Library to the lower spine, with inserted Newnes cancel title page and corrected contents page. The text block with the usual first issue error in line 16 on page 56: "w shed". Showing typical publisher frugality, it was issued following Newnes acquisition of the publication rights along with the remaining stock in September 1892, and pre-dates their "Second edition" in the pictorial cloth. Externally, the cloth is somewhat stained, the spine is slightly sunned, the extremities are bumped, there are several chips and short closed tears, and the spine is slightly cocked. The text block retains the original dark brown endpapers front and rear, the gutters are partially cracked but holding firm, the frontispiece retains its tissue guard, otherwise the pages are slightly toned and lightly foxed, with some small stains and marks to some pages, perhaps a dozen dog-eared corners and a few short closed tears to page edges, it has been enthusiastically cracked at numerous gatherings and is consequently slightly baggy. Providing some interesting provenance, to the front endpaper is the attractive bookplate of James Arthur, designed according to the British Museum circa 1897 by Sir David Young Cameron, with the Arthur family motto: "Fac Et Spera", do and hope. This would either be James Cecil Arthur, 2nd Baron Glenarthur (1883-1942), or his uncle James Arthur (1860-1935), who was the son of wealthy clothing wholesaler, James Arthur (1819-1885) and notable suffragist and campaigner, Jane Arthur (née Glen (1828-1907)). The third and final distinct iteration of the U.K. first edition, simultaneously the least desirable and most uncommon of the trio, and thus an annoying must have for the completest.…