CALDECOTT, Sir Andrew (1884-1951). Not Exactly Ghosts and Fires Burn Blue. London: Edward Arnold and Co., 1947/1948. 8vos. Publisher's cloth stamped black; original unclipped dust jackets. FIRST UK EDITIONS, FIRST PRINTINGS SIGNED BY THE AUTHOR, THE FORMER GOVERNOR OF HONG KONG. 

In addition to these two volumes of "weird tales," comprising the entirety of his output, Caldecott was a colonial administrator, serving first as Governor of Hong Kong, then of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), until 1944, at which point he began his writing career. These two volumes collect some 25 of Caldecott's ghost stories, including his most famous, "Christmas Re-Union," based on M.R. James' "Stories I Have Tried to Write." Many others are based upon his experiences in Southeast Asia. Caldecott has inscribed Fires Burn Blue on the front flyleaf to "Teddy & Dorothy Butler" dated "Christmas 1948." 

Fires Burn Blue with jacket foxed and toned, edges chipped with moderate paper loss at margins, tape repairs to reverse, spine entirely restored. Corners bumped and rubbed, moderate wear to extremities, some scuffing, scattered staining to lower board and spine, head and tail pushed, some fraying at joints. Light toning and foxing to text block, bookseller notation to ffep, endpapers foxed. Very good. Not Exactly Ghosts with minor chipping to jacket, toned and rubbed, minor paper loss to spine block. Boards toned and discolored throughout. Else near fine.