Forty Years in My Bookshop by Walter T. Spencer, edited with an introduction by Thomas Moult.

Published in London by Constable & Company Ltd., 1923.

A fascinating memoir of the antiquarian book trade by the celebrated London bookseller Walter T. Spencer. The book includes his recollections of buying, selling and discovering rare books and illustrations, with particular emphasis on Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, George Cruikshank, “Phiz” and other notable nineteenth-century literary figures.

Illustrated with numerous plates in colour and black and white.

Hardback retaining the scarce original pictorial dust jacket. The jacket is particularly interesting for its contemporary illustration and promotional text concerning Spencer’s handling of Dickens, Thackeray and Cruikshank rarities.

Condition: The original dust jacket is in poor but substantially complete condition. It is heavily faded, soiled and stained, with rubbing, creasing, tears, edge wear and areas of loss, particularly around the corners and lower edge. The rear panel is extremely faded and marked. The book shows general age-related wear, and the binding is exposed or strained at the title-page gutter. The contents appear generally clean. Please examine all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.

An appealing period account of London bookselling and book collecting, seldom encountered with its original illustrated dust jacket.