London, Methuen. 1894. First Edition. 8vo. 301pp + 32pp ads dated October 1894. Publisher's olive green cloth titled in gilt to spine and front boards. Contemporary Rockwell Kent-designed bookplate to front pastedown. Minor wear. A bright, near fine copy. Published in the same year as 'A Child of The Jago' this book is part of Morrison's 'slums of London' cycle that ends with 'The Hole In The Wall' in 1902. With his gritty depictions of the moral and social compromises necessary for survival in such dreadful places, and his unwillingness to take a critical stance regarding his characters and their predicament, Morrison stands out as far superior to the standard crop of God-bothering 'urban reform through fiction' mongers that the late Victorian age spewed forth in their dozens. A lovely copy of a scarce and admirable book. Item #35014

Eric Quayle; Detective Fiction.

Price: £295.00