Arthur Bruce Allen - Pyromaniac - Association Copy - James Blackwood, n.d. [1938], Signed First Edition.

London, James Blackwood, n.d. [1938]. First Edition. First Impression. Hardback. A very good copy. An uncommon work of science fiction. Inscribed by the author to fellow author L.A.G. Strong. Commonly thought to be one of the first uses of a heat ray gun, though this is demonstrably not the case. Wells's War of the Worlds (1898) utilises heat rays, as does Campbell's Black Star Passes (1930). Ray guns specifically are found in the December 1931 issue of Amazing Stories (Prucher, p88 and p162). Plenty of other examples are available in Clute and Nicholls [p1320]. That said, it's still a rare work of science fiction that doesn't appear too often. A little chipping and wear to the spine tips, a few markings to the jacket and toning to the spine. [11794, Hyraxia Books].