THE LOVES OF TWENTY AND ONE. London, New York: F. Tennyson Neely, Publisher, [1899]. Small octavo, pp. [1-2] [1-7] 8-266 [267-276: ads], original decorated green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in red, silver and gold, t.e.g. First edition. Short stories mostly reprinted from popular magazines of the day (VANITY FAIR, THE WHITE ELEPHANT, and others), a number of which are set in Cuba. Twenty stories by Glison, and one, "The Toys of the Fates," bylined Mrs. Gilson Willets. Most of the stories, sketches and contes cruels are variations on the themes of tragic love and the irony of fate. Some are horrific, none are supernatural, although one features a supposedly haunted house that scares off potential residents. "Love on a Steamship" is a delicately told Lesbian story. A key work of American Decadent fiction; in the vein of early Robert W. Chambers. Gilson Willets (1868-1922), journalist, novelist, pioneer movie scriptwriter and world traveler, is considered to be the originator of the modern motion picture serial (The Adventures of Kathlyn, Selig Polyscope Company 1913). Willets was a correspondent for LESLIE'S WEEKLY and COLLIERS WEEKLY in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. Prior to that, he was editor of CURRENT LITERATURE MAGAZINE and ROMANCE MAGAZINE. Following the Spanish-American War, Willets traveled extensively through Europe, the Orient, and the Far East as a special correspondent for various American publications. In addition to his popular nonfiction books (INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE and others), he published several adventure novels, including ANITA, THE CUBAN SPY (1898), THE DOUBLE CROSS (1910), and THE FIRST LAW (1911), the latter two filmed in 1917 and 1918 respectively. THE LOVES OF TWENTY AND ONE appears to be his only collection of short fiction. Cloth just a bit rubbed at spine ends, a bright, very good copy. A scarce book. (#156577).
Price: $150.00
No statement of printing.