ROHMER, Sax The Mystery of Dr Fu-Manchu. London:Methuen and Co.1913.
8vo. Original publisher’s red cloth with gilt lettering to front board and spine; pp. [x], 308, [8], [+31 publishers ads]; fading to spine with some soiling, spotting throughout text block; previous owner's note to title page, otherwise very good.
First edition, presentation copy (rubber stamped to title page). The previous owner's note misidentifies the author as the pseudonym as that of John Sarsfield Ward, a not uncommon mistake. For instance, in the 1934 edition of Kennedy et al.'s Dictionary of Anonymous and Pseudonymous English Literature, three books by Rohmer are mistakenly attributed to John Sarsfield Ward. This was, in fact, another pen name. The author of both Rohmer's and Sarsfield Ward's works was one Arthur Henry Ward (1883-1959).
The Mystery of Dr Fu-Manchu is the first novel in the series following the exploits of the Chinese master villain pursued by the detective Nayland Smith. It was an instant sensation, tapping into Western paranoia over the "Yellow Peril" in the wake of the Boxer Rebellion.
#2121747