The Blue Lagoon by H. De Vere Stacpoole (Readers Library, circa 1932)
The Blue Lagoon
H. De Vere Stacpoole
London: The Readers Library Publishing Company Ltd, reprint circa 1932
The Readers Library published affordable editions of popular fiction in the period 1924-35, cheaply produced but very attractive with their wrap-round dustwrapper artwork.
A story of young, innocent love on a desert island by Irish author Henry de Vere Stacpoole (1863-1951) and originally published by T. Fisher Unwin in 1908. The Readers Library first published it around 1924/25 (date estimated by series number) to great success with sales of 550,000 copies by 1927*.
This copy a later printing from around 1932 (dated from titles on dustwrapper) and is a little unusual in that it’s utilising the page-block from The Readers Library’s US imprint World Wide Publishing*. It has been ‘re-badged’ with a Reader’s Library label pasted to the title page over the US imprint, with RL binding and dustwrapper. This copy lacks the front free endpaper with Foreword blurb to verso; I presume this to be intentional if the blurb related to the US books. Additionally, the final text page forms the rear paste-down.
Hardback in dustwrapper. 189pp. Size: 6.75 x 4.25 inches approx. (169mm x 109mm).
Light wear and rubbing to dustwrapper, especially spine ends and corner tips with minor loss; short edge tears and wear repaired and strenthened to verso with stamp hinges; a little dusty/grubby in places; 90 (series number) written in ink to tail of spine. Light shelf wear to boards and spine; gilt dulled to spine. Series number 90 written in ink to title page verso; pages age-toned throughout but otherwise generally clean.
Overall, light wear but otherwise a nicely preserved copy – very attractive.
£45.00
[Stock Code DBZ1676]
*ref. An interesting look at The Readers Library and World Wide Publishing can be found here and here.
