W W Jacobs; A Collection of First & Early editions, 1897-1920

The works of W. W. Jacobs (1863-1943) form one of the most distinctive bodies of late Victorian and Edwardian short fiction, combining maritime life, humour, and occasional elements of the macabre. Best known for The Monkey's Paw, Jacobs built his reputation on vividly observed dockside characters and economical storytelling. The present group offers a substantial and visually cohesive collection of early editions in the original pictorial cloth bindings, representing a broad span of his principal works.

A Collection of First & Early Editions by W. W. Jacobs

Comprising the following titles:

• Many Cargoes – Lawrence & Bullen, Fourteenth edition, 1897 (with a W. W. Jacobs notecard from John Jascoll, noted author on Jacobs). First issued in 1896.
• Sea Urchins – Lawrence & Bullen, 1898.
• Captains All – Hodder & Stoughton, 1905 (first published 1899).
• Short Cruises – Hurst & Blackett, 1907 (first published 1900).
• Light Freights – Methuen & Co., 1901.
• The Lady of the Barge – Harper & Brothers, 1902 (first UK edition).
• Dialstone Lane – Methuen & Co., 1906 (first published 1902).
• A Master of Craft – Methuen & Co., Sixth edition, 1903 (with publisher’s advertisements at rear dated 1904, indicating a later issue).
• Sailors’ Knots – Methuen & Co., 1909.
• Night Watches – Hodder & Stoughton, 1914.
• Ship’s Company – Hodder & Stoughton, 1920.

Notes on the Collection

This group represents a broad and well-balanced selection of Jacobs’ work, from his earliest successes through to later collections. Early titles such as Many Cargoes and Sea Urchins established his reputation for maritime humour, while Captains All and Short Cruises further developed his distinctive dockside character studies.

The key highlight is The Lady of the Barge (1902), present here in the US first edition, containing the celebrated short story The Monkey’s Paw, one of the defining works of early supernatural fiction. Later volumes such as Sailors’ Knots, Night Watches, and Ship’s Company demonstrate the continued popularity of Jacobs’ writing into the twentieth century.

The original publisher’s red cloth bindings, with their characteristic black pictorial designs, form an attractive and recognisable series, giving the collection strong shelf appeal as a group.

Condition

Overall condition is good.

• Bindings with general age-related wear, rubbing, and bumping.
• Some toning to spines and occasional marking to cloth.
• Several volumes with cracking to inner hinges and some looseness, though generally holding.
• Text blocks typically clean with mild toning.
• Occasional spotting and marks to edges.
• Some volumes with previous owner’s inscriptions.

An honest, unrestored collection showing typical signs of use, but remaining sound and visually cohesive.

Format

All volumes in original publisher’s cloth, (sizes vary slightly between titles).

Summary

A substantial and attractive collection of early editions by W. W. Jacobs, combining key early works with later volumes, and anchored by The Lady of the Barge. Offered as a group, the set provides a solid and increasingly uncommon opportunity to acquire a representative run of Jacobs’ writings.

Weight of set approximately 5.2kg (unpacked).