Captains Courageous / A Story of the Grand Banks

London: Pearson's Magazine, 1897. 1st edition. Leather Bound. black-&-white illustrations. 85 pp. Slim 8vo. Handsomely bound in 3/4 reddish-brown niger morocco over reddish-brown cloth, t.e.g. The five parts are bound without any preliminary leaves, containing 85 pages from the magazine. The binding is by Sangorski and Sutcliffe, of London. The spine is in compartments with delicate gilt lettering and the date 1896-7 at bottom. The leather of the front board is a bit spotted, more so near the top than elsewhere, and the top of the hinge is rubbed. The boards are also slightly bumped. The front free endpaper shows some scuffing. There are four small spots to the rear endpaper, of no particular consequence. The contents are generally clean, if slightly edge-worn. Overall, the book is in very good condition, in a most attractive binding. Martindell 68. Written when Kipling was but 31, and not long married to the sister of his American agent, this is his only book to be set entirely in America. This unique item contains the December, 1896; and the January to April, 1897 parts of Pearson's Magazine which constituted the first appearance in print of Kipling's famous novella. The first book publication was by Macmillan (London), later in 1897, with 21 illustrations by I. W. Taber. The first American book publication was also in 1897 by The Century Co. (New York City). This true first printing also contains 16 illustrations by I. W. Taber, as well as an additional 21 illustrations by Fred T. Jane (the founder of 'Jane's Fighting Ships '), and two by Swain.