GRAUSTARK: THE STORY OF A LOVE BEHIND A THRONE. Chicago: Herbert S. Stone and Company, 1901. Octavo, pp. [1-8] 1-459 [460-464: blank] [note: first two and last two leaves are blanks], title page printed in orange, black and blind, original pictorial blue-gray cloth, front, spine and rear panels stamped in white, t.e.g., other edges untrimmed. First edition. This copy has all the first printing points called for by BAL, including "Noble's" for "Lorry's," page 150, line 6, and is printed on the laid paper stock watermarked "H S STONE & CO. NEW YORK & CHICAGO." The author's first book (preceded by two ephemeral publications), a Ruritanian romance set in Graustark, an imaginary country in Europe. The first of McCutcheon's six very popular Graustark novels, followed by BEVERLY OF GRAUSTARK (1904), TRUXTON KING (1909), THE PRINCE OF GRAUSTARK (1912), EAST OF THE SETTING SUN (1924) and THE INN OF THE HAWK AND RAVEN (1927). With well-managed publicity and on its own merits, the book became a national bestseller within two months of its publication. Over 100,000 copies of the original edition were sold before the reprints were made. The success of McCutcheon's first book placed him among the most popular of the American romance writers. "The mythical Balkan realm of Graustark remains a household name in the U.S.A. ..." - Clute and Grant (eds), The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997), p. 826. Smith, American Fiction, 1901-1925 M-121. BAL 13501 (first printing; binding A). Kramer 273. Light wear to lower front corner tip, a very good copy. A full-page inscription by McCutcheon dated 22 March 1922 on the front free endpaper of another book is tipped onto the front free endpaper of this copy. (#138254).
Price: $150.00
No statement of printing.