TOLD IN WHISPERS. FROM THE LATELY DISCOVERED MSS. OF LAWRENCE FLEET, D.C.L. New York: The Crown Pub. Co. 10 Astor Place. Published by the Crown Pub. Co. in S. F., [1894]. Octavo, pp. [1-7] 8-223 [224: ad], frontispiece (portrait of Abraham Lincoln), original white wrappers printed in red. Later printing. "Tenth Thousand" printed on front cover. Issued as "The Crown Library," volume III, number 1, June 1894. Sensational radical fiction about the Cross of Blood Society, a secret organization of anarchists, whose terrorist acts (assassination of wealthy American industrialists and financiers and bombings) terrify the nation and force economic reform. "A political utopian novel which takes place partly in the near future (1912-1916), including vast desert reclamation projects and major political reforms. Missed by the genre reference books." - William Matthews, Bookseller. As a subscription series paperback, this was not eligible for consideration by Wright. Irvine published another utopian work, AN AFFAIR IN THE SOUTH SEAS (San Francisco: Payot, Upham & Co., 1901; London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1901). Irvine was a prolific journalist with a reformist streak, authoring, among other things, THE STRUGGLE FOR BREAD (1889) and THE TYRANNY OF UNIONS (1916). Rebound in modern terra cotta wrappers with the remains of the original front wrapper pasted to front cover. Later printed spine label. Old stains to upper corners and margins of some leaves, evidence of old mildew to some leaves, else a very good copy of this cheaply made book printed on pulp paper. OCLC records Ohio State University and University of California, Santa Barbara. DLC has it on microfilm. This is a Library of Congress "Surplus Duplicate" with their duplicate stamp on the front cover. Rare. (#138072).
Price: $450.00
"TENTH THOUSAND" on front cover.