[Signed] [First Edition] THE Cat's Eye. Signed Copy. R. Austin Freeman. Signed Copy. [Used - Near Fine] [Hardcover]

The Cat's Eye. 1937. Hodder and Stoughton. The sixth edition but with a wonderful inscription and provenance. This is a remarkable copy inscribed by the author to Michael Sadleir, the noted author, bibliographer and collector (especially of Victorian fiction). In addition, the book has the small leather bookplate on the front paste down of Florence and Edward Kaye, also renowned collectors of detective fiction. The Kaye library was sold by Lew David Feldman of "The House of El Dieff" in 1974, and the resultant catalog "The Distinguished Library of Detective-Crime-Mystery Fiction Formed by Florence and Edward Kaye Covering the Period 1591-1974" is an important reference work for collectors of this genre. Although I have not seen this catalog, one can surmise that this copy on offer was featured in it! Thus the provenance of this book is superlative in having belonged to both the Sadleir and the Kaye libraries. A near fine copy in the original bright orange cloth with black lettering in fine condition. There is slight offsetting to the end papers, but apart from the author's inscription on the front free end paper, there are no other markings and no foxing. In an about complete very good attractive dust wrapper which has light edge wear and a couple of small corner chips. There are also some lightly browned internal tape reinforcements but not showing through to the front. A very sharp copy of this special book.