The Hunting of the Snark: An Agony in Eight Fits

London: Macmillan and Co., 1876 Illustrated by Henry Holiday. First edition, first printing, with "baker" on p. 83 and a single leaf of publisher's advertisements. Publisher's decorative light tan boards with illustrations by Holiday in black, lettered in black, all edges gilt, black endpapers. Near fine, with a touch of soiling to front board, moderate toning to spine, a touch of wear to the upper spine, tiny bookseller's embossed stamp to front free endpaper, and light offsetting from emblem on half-title page. Overall, an attractive copy, rarely found in such nice condition. Taylor 382. In this poem, Carroll returns to the setting of "Jabberwocky," the nonsense poem that was published as part of his 1872 novel Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There. Specifically, "The Hunting of the Snark" tells the story of ten sailors, each of whose name begins with the letter B, who are in search of a fearsome creature known as the "snark" which they fear may be an especially dangerous sort known as a "boojum." Like "Jabberwocky," this poem is filled with fantastical adventures, impossible scenarios, and gibberish words. . First Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine.