L. W. Currey, Inc.

James, George Wharton. THE INFLUENCE OF THE CLIMATE OF CALIFORNIA UPON ITS LITERATURE by Dr. George Wharton James [cover title]. N.p. [Pasadena?], n.d. [1909 or 1910]. 27.8x19.4 cm, pp. [1-2: blank] [1] 2-23 [24: blank], original brown wrappers printed in black, side stapled. First edition. According to Lummis, (probably author, editor Charles Lummis [1859-1928]) quoted by James, California College Girls, around 1909-1910, "are larger by almost every dimension than are the collage girls of Massachusetts. They are taller, broader-shouldered, thicker chested (with ten cubic inches more lung capacity), have larger biceps and calves, and a superiority of tested strength ..." (p. 3). According to James, California's healthy climate builds better bodies and insures a high order of mental work. He points out that one result of California's climate is the production of a notable group of nature writers: "California has produced in her fifty years of history as many and as good nature writers as all the rest of the English-writing world in its history of a thousand years." See "Is California Destined to Become America's Art Center?," an anonymous article in Current Literature, volume 49 (October 1910), that discusses several arts colonies in California, as well as open-air theaters, and includes remarks by, among others, George Sterling. The article also includes a lengthy quotation from James' work, which is referred to as a "pamphlet" published by him in Pasadena. There is a photograph of James in the article with the caption "THE CELEBRATOR OF CALIFORNIAN LITERATURE / Dr. George Wharton James looks to California to lead the nation in literary and artistic genius, and holds that in certain respects she is already supreme." Delicate wrappers lightly chipped at edges, spine ends and several corner tips lightly chipped, a very good copy. Quite scarce. (#166327).

Price: $150.00