Bidspirit auction | Pinkerton, Allan. The Rail-Road Forger

Pinkerton, Allan. The Rail-Road Forger and the Detectives. G. W. Carleton & Co., 1881. First Edition. - A hardcover volume titled The Rail-Road Forger and the Detectives by Allan Pinkerton. This work was published in New York by G. W. Carleton & Co. in 1881. The book is bound in the publisher's dark green cloth with blind-stamped floral borders on both the front and rear boards. The front cover and the spine feature a gold-gilt device depicting a wide-open human eye, the logo of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, placed above the agency motto WE NEVER SLEEP. The spine includes gilt-stamped lettering for the title and author. Internally, the volume contains numerous full-page wood-engraved illustrations depicting narrative scenes. The title page displays the publisher's GWC monogram in a stylized cartouche. A page preceding the title page provides a list of twelve titles in the Allan Pinkerton's Great Detective Books series. The copyright page states the copyright was held by Allan Pinkerton in 1881 and identifies the stereotyper as Samuel Stodder of 90 Ann Street, New York, with the Trow Printing and Book-Binding Co. of New York listed as the printer and binder. The text is printed in a single column with wood-engraved plates interspersed throughout the narrative. No ruler is visible in the provided images for measurement. The binding shows significant wear consistent with age and use. The cloth at the spine head and tail is frayed with notable loss (photo 2). The front and rear boards exhibit scuffing, rubbing to the extremities, and localized areas of discoloration (photos 1, 3). The gold-gilt logo and lettering on the cover and spine show partial rubbing but remain visible. Internally, the paper stock is moderately age-toned with occasional light foxing (photos 6, 7). A small closed tear is present at the right margin of the title page (photo 4). The binding remains functional despite the deterioration at the spine. The illustrated plates appear intact. No dust jacket is present.