Item #2578 THE ISLAND OF FANTASY: A ROMANCE. Fergus Hume, pseud. of Fergusson Wright Hume.

THE ISLAND OF FANTASY: A ROMANCE

London: Griffith Farran & Co. Limited, [1892]. First Edition. An early and uncommon novel from Hume's prolific career - a Greek Arcadian utopia founded by a wealthy Englishman on an isolated island in the Mediterranean. "...in the hollow of an ancient volcano, an adventurer of advanced ideas has founded a colony of pure-bred Greeks, in the hope that, by isolation and careful selection, they will in future times produce a new art, reviving the pure spirit of ancient Hellas" (The Literary World, August 12, 1892, p.111). Scarce; we find no examples in the trade (June, 2017), and OCLC shows 11 holdings in US institutions. Bleiler (1948 ed.), p.155; Locke. A Spectrum of Fantasy, Vol.1, p.119. Provenance: From the collection of Spectrum of Fantasy author George Locke. Item #2578

First Impression. Three octavo volumes (19.25cm); blue-gray cloth, with titles stamped in gilt on spines and in black on front covers; publisher's decorated endpapers; [2],3-288; [4],5-301,[1]; [4],5-299,[1] blank, plus [4]pp ads. Black and white armorial bookplate of J.M. Sagar-Musgrave applied to front pastedown of each volume. Some offsetting from bookplates onto endpapers; scattered foxing to text edges and preliminary pages, else clean internally; touch of sunning to spine cloth and board extremities, mild wear to spine ends, with light dust-soil to covers; hinges sound, with spine gilt still bright and unrubbed; Very Good+.

Price: $2,500.00