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London, T. Nelson and Son's, 1868. 170 x 120 mm, 6¾" x 4¾", 7 full page black and white illustrations plus oval picture on illustrated title page all with tissue guards, 438 pages plus 10 pages publisher's catalogue, original publisher's cloth, gilt lettering and pictures to spine, blind decoration to covers. Binding rubbed, slight wear to head and tail of spine and corners, slightly leaning, first 20 pages have very small brown stain to the outer edges (see images), occasional small light marks and signs of handling to pages, mostly to margins, otherwise a very good copy. The illustrations in the first edition were in colour and by the author and completely different from this edition which has illustrations by Dalziel. Early editions are scarce, the first edition was published in 1858. More images sent on request. Following his education at the Edinburgh Academy Ballantyne entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company and between 1841 and 1847 worked with them as a clerk at the Red River Settlement in Canada. The experience was to provide him with the background for his first adventure tale for young people, The Young Fur Traders, published in 1856. Its success prompted a series of adventure stories set at sea or in the American west and the jungles of Africa. Between then and his death in 1894 Ballantyne published some eighty novels which echoed the Victorian enthusiasm for the ideals of service to the British empire. The best known of these is Coral Island (1858) which tells the gripping story of three young castaways on a Pacific island - the narrator Ralph and his friends Jack and Peterkin. Like Robinson Crusoe they have to make do with bare essentials and endure many adventures before they are rescued. Images sent on request.

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