The Silver Shilling and Other Stories (Juvenile Library Series. 19th C. Pirated Edition de ANDERSEN, Hans Christian - c. 1885

8vo HB. pp; 63. Frontis & additional illustrations. Small inscription to ffep. Spotting to endpapers, toning to page margins and some isolated marking throughout. Internal hinges slightly weak. Fair in pictorial pale blue cloth, lettered black to spine. With overall discolouration and rubbing to extremities. A literary curiosity - an edition that does not appear to exist. I could find no records on WorldCat, COPAC, or The British Library. There are other titles published by King, however it seems that he had an interesting backstory. He appears to have been a swindler and fraud, tried no less than 4 times at the Old Bailey between 1900-1908. Reading the transcript of his 1908 trial, it appears that he had long been involved in swindling, defrauding, and embezzling the whole of the book trade under a variety of assumed names. At the 1908 trial he claimed to have moved to London and established himself as a bookseller some 26 years previously (Hence my dating of the title, along with the overall appearance), at this same trial he was sentenced to 15 months hard labour. My personal theory is that he basically bootlegged books from other publishers (Most likely undercutting them) and then vanished with the proceeds. If anyone who has made it to the end of this has any information (Either corroborative or to the contrary) please do contact me