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

London, James Blackwood, n.d. [1938]. First Edition. First Impression. Hardback. A very good copy in a good jacket. An uncommon work of science fiction. 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. The jacket has had a few crude repairs to the spine, which is heavily worn, though largely complete - some vertical creasing, tearing and separation. Chipping to the head of spine. Some toning to the spine. The boards are bumped and a little worn. Block a little dusty. [Reginald, p10]. [8161, Hyraxia Books].