Guy Boothby — Doctor Nikola

London, Ward, Lock & Co. Limited , 1896. First edition. Cloth. The scarce first edition of this popular novel from the Doctor Nikola series by Guy Boothby. The scarce first edition. In the publisher's original pictorial cloth binding. Illustrated with a frontispiece, 16 full-page plates and numerous vignette illustrations by Stanley L. Wood. Collated complete. A thrilling novel from the Doctor Nikola series by Guy Boothby about an occultist anti-hero seeking immortality and world domination. Dr. Nikola was a forerunner to Sax Rohmer's fictional villain Fu Manchu. Guy Boothby (1867-1905) was a prolific Australian writer best known for his Dr Nikola series, and 'Pharos the Egyptian', a gothic tale about Egypt and the supernatural. Boothby was a friend of Rudyard Kipling's, and wrote ghost stories, gothic horror, science fiction and crime fiction, with particular interest placed on his supernatural works. The half title page is present. With six pages of publisher's advertisements to the rear of the novel. In the publisher's original full cloth binding. Externally, smart with some shelf wear to the edges. Bumping and closed tears to the spine. Spine is darkened. The odd light mark to the boards. Some scattered spots to the rear paste-down and offsetting to the rear free endpaper. Internally binding strained but still generally firm. Pages bright and clean with some age-toning to the edges and scattered spots throughout. With two small closed tears to page 215. Very Good . Ill.: Stanley L Wood. Very Good .