Major Arthur Griffiths — No. 99: A Novel

London, Chapman and Hall, 1885 . First edition. Cloth. An exceptionally scarce, first edition of this intriguing detective novel written by English author and prison inspector, Major Arthur Griffiths. First edition. Very scarce work. Written by British military officer, prison inspector and author, Major Arthur Griffiths, who wrote more than sixty books during his life, specialising in military history. Similar to Griffiths' later novels, 'No. 99' surrounds the world of crime and punishment, undoubtedly inspired by the authors time working in prisons and aimed to appeal to the fascinations of Victorian readers at the time. This novel opens with a gruesome murder, taking place in room number 99 of the Grand Hotel, Bythesea, with the characters trying to piece together the chain of events. Bound in the publisher's original cloth. Externally, sound with slight rubbing and bumping to the extremities and spine. A small tear to the head of the front joint and slight fraying to the head and tail of the spine. Slight fading to the spine and board extremities, with a few marks to cloth. Hinges are a little strained. Internally, firmly bound. Pages generally bright and clean with the odd handling mark. Title page is a little age toned. Good . Ill.: None. Good .