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The Chronicles of the Imp
Jeffrey Farnol
This was Jeffery Farnol's (1878-1952) first novel, originally entitled My Lady Caprice, first published in 1907. It was presumably retitled and reissued to capitalise on the success of the later novels The Broad Highway and The Money Moon.
The edition without the dust jacket is assumed to be the first impression as it uses a colour frontispiece and has 8 line drawings by Blampied. Later editions probably dropped the colour frontispice (presumably to save money) and replaced it with one of the 8 line drawings, so only have 7 drawings.
An advertisement in the back of a later edition of The Money Moon gives the price of the 3rd edition of The Chronicles, with illustrations (presumably by Blampied), as 3/6. The two 4/- impressions shown below do not have the colour frontispiece or the Appreciation, but use an illustration with the caption begining 'Whipped your hands' instead. The 3/6d impression shown below also does not have the colour frontispiece or the Appreciation, but uses an illustration with caption begining 'Please, are you Mr Uncle Dick?'. The impression priced at 3/6 had advertisements for novels that Farnol published in the late 1920s. The suede impression has the colour frontispiece and the Appreciation. The order in which they were issued is guessed.
First edition thus?
Bibliography code: SLM-15.1a
Publisher: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd
Series: none
Year: [1915]
Format: 8vo
Pages: xx, pp 1-219, pp 12 adverts
Binding: Crimson red cloth with title and author in white panel on front; title, author and publisher in gilt on spine
Size: 198 x 138 mm
Dust jacket signed: jacket not seen
Internal illustrations: frontispiece in colour ('Edging my way'), and 8 line illustrations on unnumbered pages of glossy paper bound in all but one signed Blampied
Price: not confirmed, advertised at 3/6
Printing history: none stated
Printed by: William Clowes and Sons, Limited, Duke Street, Stamford Street, S.E. and Great Windmill Street, W.
Notes: The dust jacket of this edition has not been seen. This edition has a colour frontispiece; an Appreciation on pages v to xvi by Clement K. Shorter entitled Jeffrey Farnol and his work; and 12 pages of advertisements for titles by Farnol and other authors at the back.
Cover (click to enlarge)
Later impression
Bibliography code: SLM-15.1b
Publisher: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd
Series: none
Year: [1915]
Format: 8vo
Pages: pp 6, pp 1-218
Binding: Red cloth with black rim and initials JF in black, lower right; title, author and publisher in black on spine
Size: 191 x 134 mm
Dust jacket signed: no, illustration does not appear in book
Internal illustrations: Frontispiece in line ('Whipped your hands'), and 7 line illustrations on unnumbered pages of glossy paper bound in all but one signed Blampied
Price: 4 shillings
Printing history: none stated
Printed by: Purnell and Sons, Paulton (Somerset) and London
Notes: This does not have a colour frontispiece.
Dust jacket (click to enlarge)
Later impression
Bibliography code: SLM-15.1c
Publisher: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd
Series: none
Year: [1915]
Format: 8vo
Pages: pp 6, pp 1-218
Binding: Plain red cloth with black rim; title, author and publisher in black on spine
Size: 191 x 134 mm
Dust jacket signed: no, illustration does not appear in book
Internal illustrations: Frontispiece ('Whipped your hands'), and 7 line illustrations on unnumbered pages of glossy paper bound in all but one signed Blampied
Price: 4 shillings
Printing history: none stated
Printed by: Purnell and Sons, Paulton (Somerset) and London
Notes: This does not have a colour frontispiece.
Dust jacket (click to enlarge)
Later impression
Bibliography code: SLM-15.1d
Publisher: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd
Series: none
Year: [1915]
Format: 8vo
Pages: pp 6, pp 1-250
Binding: Orange cloth with black rim and initials JF in black, lower right; title, author and publisher in black on spine
Size: 189 x 133 mm
Dust jacket signed: no, same illustration as frontispiece in some editions
Internal illustrations: Unigned frontispiece ('Please are you Mr Uncle Dick?'), and 8 line illustrations on unnumbered pages of glossy paper bound in, all but one signed Blampied
Price: 3 shillings 6 pence
Printing history: none stated
Printed by: Purnell and Sons, Paulton (Somerset) and London
Notes: This does not have a colour frontispiece. The last novel listed on the rear panel of the jacket was first published in 1932.
Dust jacket (click to enlarge)
Later edition
Bibliography code: SLM-15.1e
Publisher: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd
Series: none
Year: unknown
Format: 8vo
Pages: xx, pp 1-219
Binding: Decorated and embosse suede with title and author in giltm; title and author in gilt on spine
Size: 206 x 139 mm, inclduing yapp
Dust jacket signed: no jacket?
Internal illustrations: Frontispiece in colours ('edging my way', used on jacket of impressions above), and 8 line illustrations
Price: 4 shillings
Printing history: none stated
Printed by: Purnell and Sons, Paulton (Somerset) and London
Notes: This has a colour frontispiece. My copy has a gift inscription dated November 6, 1920.
Suede cover of impression (click to enlarge)