The Adventures of Heine by Edgar Wallace First Edition Ward, Lock & Co 1919. Small date inscription to fep. Lightly rubbed covers, near VG.

In the foggy backstreets of Edwardian London, enterprising young Heine, a plucky German-Jewish newsboy with a knack for scraping by, dives into a whirlwind of roguish escapades. From hawking papers amid dockside brawls to outwitting swindlers in seedy gambling dens, Heine's quick wits and unyielding optimism propel him through petty thefts, unlikely romances, and a daring bid to expose a corrupt alderman's racket. Wallace's picaresque novella crackles with street-smart banter, vivid underworld vignettes, and irrepressible humor, chronicling one lad's audacious ascent from rags to fleeting riches in a rollicking tribute to the East End's indomitable spirit.

The Adventures of Heine allures collectors as a youthful rarity in Edgar Wallace's vast canon, its East End exuberance a vibrant precursor to his thriller dominance. Readers revel in Heine's cheeky charm and the novel's buoyant grit, akin to Arthur Morrison's low-life vignettes or P.G. Wodehouse's early romps. Its cultural zest captures Edwardian immigrant hustle and urban underbelly, beguiling adventure fiction fans. Collectors prize its scarcity among Wallace's works, while readers dash through the alleyway antics and hawker high-jinks, deeming it a spirited essential for devotees of picaresque tales and London lowlife lore.