first edition With 12 plate illustrations by Arthur Hopkins. [8], 298; [vi], 287 pp. Without half-titles. 2 vols. 8vo
1878 · London
by Payn, James
London: Chatto and Windus, 1878. First edition. With 12 plate illustrations by Arthur Hopkins. [8], 298; [vi], 287 pp. Without half-titles. 2 vols. 8vo. Contemporary half roan and marbled boards. Some rubbing and wear to binding, very good. Hopkins, Arthur. First edition. With 12 plate illustrations by Arthur Hopkins. [8], 298; [vi], 287 pp. Without half-titles. 2 vols. 8vo. "Payn's greatest literary success was the two-volume By Proxy (1878), set in China, in which the hero, Captain Conway, gives himself as the proxy victim for execution in place of his convicted, thieving friend Pennicuik. Needless to say in such a sensation novel, Conway somehow escapes death and returns later to England to put matters right. This novel, together with Lost Sir Massingberd, established Payn as a popular, but minor, novelist" (ODNB). Payn edited the Cornhill Magazine from 1883-1896. Wolff 5436
(Inventory #: 312878)