THE ELUSIVE PIMPERNEL.

London : Hutchinson & Co., 1908. First edition. The third of the Scarlet Pimpernel series - "Paris this September, 1793! - or shall we call it Vendémiaire, Year 1 of the Republic?" - "Like its scarlet predecessor, [it] is so beautifully unlike life that we have thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Sir Peter Blakeney, of the drawl and the inane smile, and the still inaner rhyme, is once more with us, dawdling into Revolutionary France, and doing the most heroic things under the nose of a Government that would give millions to see him dead" (Daily News, 23rd October 1908). Crown 8vo (189 x 122mm). 352 + (32)pp advertisements dated Autumn 1908 - the adverts curiously referring to the present work as "The Illusive Pimpernel", which raises some interesting questions. Bound in a smart later quarter chestnut morocco, banded and ruled in gilt; marbled sides - by James Ashton of London, with his stamp; outer leaves lightly tanned; some occasional scattered foxing, but overall a very good copy. Contemporary ownership inscription of H. T. Page on half-title. With the distinctive books-cat-and-skull, "Life Beyond Life", bookplate of the late Paul Minet (1937-2012), bookseller and journalist.