EDWARDS, Amelia B[landford] (1831-1892). A Night on the Borders of the Black Forest. [With]: Signed Personal Letter Describing The Writing of Debenham's Vow. Leipzig: Bernhard Tauchnitz, 1874. 12mo. [1]-302, [1, colophon], [1, blank] pp. Rebound in green cloth with red leather backstrip and original gilt spine, edges marbled. FIRST CONTINENTAL EDITION OF THIS SUPERNATURAL COLLECTION FROM AUTHOR AND EGYPTOLOGIST AMELIA EDWARDS. [With]: A 9 x 5 1/2" 4 PP SIGNED PERSONAL LETTER dated Nov. 3rd 1869 to "Dearest Sophie" laid-in: "...I have finished my novel, I am thankful to say -- & my novel has nearly finished me. I am utterly worn out and done for -- in wretched health -- & hoping to get down to Cornwall for sea-air..." 

The subject of the correspondence, as stated on a following page, is the writing of her novel Debenham's Vow, published in 1870. Edwards is better remembered, however, as the "Godmother of Egyptology," having abandoned writing to co-found the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1882, which she served as Honorary Secretary until her death. Bleiler notes that this "second career" is presaged in her ghost stories, "unusual in centering on well-handled exotic settings." This is the continental first edition; a US edition was published in 1890 but no English edition was issued. 

Boards scuffed, extremities worn, hinges broken, spine rubbed. Endpapers foxed, hinges repaired with tape, textblock toned. Letter with substantial paper loss, repaired, toned, soiled, and folded. Fair to good.