{"product_id":"the-prisoner-of-zenda-anthony-hope-1st-edition-early-issue","title":"The Prisoner of Zenda, Anthony Hope — 1st Edition, Early Issue","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e Bristol, J.W. Arrowsmith \/ London, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent \u0026amp; Company Limited, 1894\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. iv, 310, [2].\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. The book is presented in the publisher's original maroon cloth, which remains structurally sound and tight, lacking the spine roll or looseness common to this edition. The gilt lettering to the front board remains bright and unoxidised, though the spine exhibits the typical sun-fading, toning to a softer brown, accompanied by light shelf-wear to the extremities. Internally, the pages are clean and the hinges sound, with the text block showing natural age-toning. The preliminary leaves feature some scattered foxing and a contemporary ownership signature (\"Wish to ... Jan 6, 96.\") to the front free endpaper, which is entirely consistent with a volume of this age. Overall, it presents as a highly attractive, solid copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is an early issue of the first edition of Anthony Hope’s definitive adventure novel. While the true first issue points for \u003ci\u003eThe Prisoner of Zenda\u003c\/i\u003e can be complex, this copy possesses the established hallmarks of an early issue (often designated as the second or third issue by bibliographers): the presence of six titles listed under \"By the same Author\" on the title page verso, the uncrossed 'f' in \"of\" on the spine, and its inclusion as \"Vol. XVIII\" in Arrowsmith’s 3\/6 Series at the rear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe novel was initially published without a date on the title page in 1894. This copy is firmly grounded in its period by a contemporary ownership inscription on the front free endpaper dated \"Jan 6, 96\" (1896), establishing its early provenance. True first editions of this title in the original publisher's cloth, and lacking a dust jacket, as is almost universally the case, are increasingly scarce on the open market, especially in structurally tight condition without severe spine wear.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnthony Hope’s \u003ci\u003eThe Prisoner of Zenda\u003c\/i\u003e is the quintessential swashbuckling adventure that single-handedly birthed the \"Ruritanian romance\" genre. When the rightful king of the fictional nation of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation by his treacherous brother, an English gentleman on holiday, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the monarch, is persuaded to step into his shoes. What begins as a temporary political decoy rapidly descends into a perilous game of court intrigue, swordplay, and star-crossed romance. Fast-paced and endlessly thrilling, it remains a cornerstone of nineteenth-century adventure fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54476065177939,"sku":"4883","price":260.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260727_153853.jpg?v=1785765968","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-prisoner-of-zenda-anthony-hope-1st-edition-early-issue","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}