W W Jacobs; A Further Collection of First & Later editions

The works of W. W. Jacobs (1863–1943) remain among the most distinctive contributions to late Victorian and Edwardian short fiction, combining maritime realism with humour and occasional supernatural elements. Best known for The Monkey's Paw, Jacobs drew heavily on his experience of London’s docklands, producing sharply observed tales of seafarers, clerks, and river life. The present collection brings together a varied group of his works in both first editions and later issues, including British and American printings, and a small number of reprints.

A Further Collection of Works by W. W. Jacobs

Comprising the following titles:

• Salthaven – Methuen & Co., 1908 first edition.
• Deep Waters – Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York, August 1919 first US illustrated edition.
• Deep Waters – Hodder & Stoughton, undated, but believed to be the UK first edition (c. 1919).
• The Castaways – Hodder & Stoughton, 1916 first edition.
• Ship’s Company – R. S. Surtees Society, 1986 reprint edition.
• Many Cargoes – Frederick A. Stokes Company, New York, 1903 reprint edition (first published 1896).
• The Night-Watchman and Other Longshoremen – Hodder & Stoughton, 1937 reprint.
• The Skipper’s Wooing and The Brown Man’s Servant – C. Arthur Pearson Ltd, London, 1902, leather bound edition.

Notes on the Collection

This group complements the earlier set by extending into both later printings and variant editions, including American and illustrated issues. The presence of two editions of Deep Waters is particularly useful, showing both the UK and US treatment of Jacobs' work, with the Scribner's edition retaining its distinctive pictorial binding.

Salthaven represents one of Jacobs' later novels, moving beyond short story collections into longer narrative form, while The Night-Watchman and Other Longshoremen continues his established maritime themes with character-driven sketches drawn from dockside life.

Many Cargoes, his breakthrough collection, appears here in a later issue, still retaining strong collecting appeal as his foundational work. The inclusion of The Castaways and Ship's Company further broadens the representation of his output into the twentieth century.

The small leather-bound The Skipper's Wooing adds a different element to the group, suggesting either a presentation or later collected edition, and providing some visual contrast to the predominantly cloth-bound volumes.

Condition

Overall condition is good to very good (with Ship's Company being near fine, and The Castaways only fair due to substantial spotting).

• Cloth bindings generally clean with moderate wear and rubbing
• Some toning and marking to spines and boards
• Occasional bumping to corners and spine ends
• Text blocks generally clean with typical age toning
• Some spotting visible to edges in places
• The leather bound volume with rubbing and light wear to spine
• Some ownership inscriptions

A sound and attractive working collection, with a mix of brighter and more subdued bindings giving good shelf presence.

Format

Mixed formats, predominantly in original publisher’s cloth, with one leather bound volume and one modern reprint.

Summary

A varied and visually appealing supplementary collection of W. W. Jacobs' works, bringing together UK and US editions, later issues, and a small number of reprints. The set offers useful breadth and complements a core Jacobs collection effectively.

Weight of set approximately 4.1kg (unpacked).