Ballantyne, Robert Michael.

8vo (175 x 110mm.), first edition, coloured frontispiece, additional pictorial title and 6 plates after the author, original pictorial blue cloth gilt, folder and morocco-backed slipcase, some browning, slightly rubbed at extremities, tiny tear at foot of spine

Quayle 12a  

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, when appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

First edition of one of the most popular of all Scottish novels.

This copy is in the first issue binding with the title and pictorial design blocked in gilt within the large embossed central circle on the upper cover. The text however appears to be the second issue with the frontispiece entitled "Terrible Encounters with a Shark" which replaces the earlier frontispiece, "View from the Hill-Top", present in this copy opposite page 64.

"It is seldom that one meets a man who has not, in his youth, read at least one of Ballantyne's adventure tales. To most of the Fathers and Grandfathers of today, there must still cling around the name of this nineteenth-century author the golden fragrance of the coral islands of their youth" (Eric Quayle, Ballantyne the Brave, 1967).