NEIGHBORS UNKNOWN. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1911. Octavo, pp. [1-4] [i-vi] vii [viii] ix [x] [1-2] 3-266 [267-272] [273-276: blank] [note: first two and last two leaves are blanks], eight inserted plates with full-page halftone black-and-white illustrations by Paul Bransom, original pictorial olive green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in light brown, black and white, pictorial endpapers. First U.S. edition. Fourteen animal stories. Excellent illustrations, similar to the style of Charles Livingston Bull, who illustrated many of Roberts' books. "Roberts' stories about animals (mostly wildlife, but often domesticated dogs as well) are based on his close observation of them, and also on his sure sense of drama. He broke ground by avoiding sentimental and melodramatic approaches. While he shows the reasoning and emotions of animals so successfully that they seem like full-bodied fictional characters, there is nothing anthropomorphic (or fantastic) about his work. On the contrary, it embodies a greater realism than his subject had customarily received. This development was of a piece with the wave of 'realism' that swept over English-speaking writers in the 1890s. Roberts' stories are exciting; but how could his subject (life in the wild) yield anything else? That's the response we're led to, for the artist covers his tracks and camouflages his artistry so that all the reader sees is the action of the story, not the telling of it, which is performed (fittingly) in a very natural manner. Most of his 'characters' are predators (and prey); all of them live a dangerous, violent life; some of his stories could fit into a horror anthology. The artist's cunning, disguised as modesty, may have contributed to the neglect he has received since his heyday (1890s-1910s). These are not stories for children but for readers who appreciate sharply drawn characters, rich atmosphere, and striking action, all set forth against the somber backdrop of mortality. Underlying the flash of tooth and claw, fur and feather, is a thematic gravity that also draws humanity into the orbit of nature." -- Robert Eldridge. Some loss of delicate white enamel lettering on front and spine panels, hairline crack along inner rear hinge but its still holding tight, a very good copy. (#115645).
Price: $35.00
"Published February, 1911" on copyright page.