8vo. Illustrations by W.J. Aylward. (Very minor marginal spotting to preliminary leaves.) Original pictorial blue cloth stamped in white, red, and blue, spine lettered in gilt (front hinge starting).

FIRST EDITION, FIRST ISSUE IN THE RARE FIRST ISSUE BINDING with gilt-lettering on spine. Thanks in large part to the success of The Call of the Wild, anticipation for The Sea-Wolf was so high that its first printing of 40,000 copies sold out before the book was even published. The very first copies were lettered in gilt on the spine, a printing error that was corrected as soon as London discovered it, as he felt that it did not match the rest of the book. The novel went on to become one of London's best known, with Ambrose Bierce writing of it, "The great thing—and it is among the greatest of things—is that tremendous creation, Wolf Larsen... the hewing out and setting up of such a figure is enough for a man to do in one lifetime..."

"Most copies are entirely lettered in white on both front cover and spine; but some few have been found with the spine only lettered in gold...the cover with spine gilt is never found on anything but first issue sheets..." (A Practical Guide to American Book Collecting, 1941, p.196). BAL 11882; Sisson & Martens, p.20. A BRIGHT COPY.