Guy Boothby — Pharos the Egyptian

London, Ward, Lock & Co. 1899. First edition. Cloth. The first edition of Boothby"s luridly inventive Egyptian Gothic novel, in which an ancient sorcerer unleashes a supernatural plague upon Europe, illustrated with twelve plates after John Bacon. In the publisher's original blue cloth binding, with pictorial gilt to the front board and spine. First edition.  Illustrated with a frontispiece and a further eleven plates by John H. Bacon. One plate is fully detached, but present. Collated, complete.  An entertaining piece of sensational Victorian literature, this is a tale of Gothic Egypt, mummies' curses and supernatural revenge. Possibly Boothby's most sensational work, amongst many sensational works, this involves a reanimated black magician who sets loose a plague. The author Guy Newell Boothby (1867-1905) was a prolific Australian novelist and writer, notable for his sensational fiction printed in magazines in the late nineteenth century. He is best known for his Dr Nikola series, and for this novel. With eight pages of publisher's advertisements to the rear. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally, smart. Slight rubbing and bumping to extremities, resulting in minor loss to cloth. Slight pulling to spie ends. Minor rubbing to boards. Front hinge slightly strained, but firm. Endpapers age toned. Internally, generally firmly bound. Hinges strained in places, but holding firm ,notably between pp. 224-5. Plate facing p.56 fully detached, but present. Pages generally bright and clean if slightly age toned with scattered spotting to fore edge, heavire to first and last few leaves. Slight cockling to leaves and plates. Good . Ill.: John H. Bacon. Good .