Carnacki, the Ghost Finder (condensed version)

Notes

Abridgement of four Carnacki stories Originally published to secure copyright
• From SFE3, multiple articles: The first 5 Carnacki stories were published in 1910 issues of The Idler. The 1910 booklet listed below contains "four abridged stories later published in full in the 1913 collection below, plus poem: for copyright protection". In turn, the 1984 omnibus Spectral Manifestations contains the same. "In order to retain US copyright protection, Hodgson arranged for privately printed editions of drastically condensed versions of several of his books. ..." Carnacki is one named. --SFE3, "Carnacki" by Lee Weinstein; Hodgson list of works; Hodgson biography by 4 authors;
• The 2009 Night Shade collection The Dream of X [...] (viewed as "Look inside" at Amazon.com 2019-06-18) contains this work in its second part, "Copyright Versions". From the Introduction by Ross E. Lockhart (see), page xi: "... we move on to Hodgson's copyright versions, stripped-down abridgements of his best-known works, written to secure American copyright protections. Many of these have a "Cliffs Notes" feeling to them, particularly "The Ghost Pirates" and "Carnacki, the Ghost Finder". ... It is likely that these copyright versions were never intended by Hodgson to be seen by a reading audience ..." (emphasis added).