F. Hopkinson Smith — Colonel Carter of Cartersville

Boston and New York, Houghton, Mifflin and Company; The Riverside Press, 1891 . First edition. Cloth. The first edition, first issue of the debut novel of American author Francis Hopkinson Smith. From the library of noted American bibliophile Natalie Knowlton Blair. The first edition, first issue of this work, with correct apostrophe to back strip, and vignette staircase illustration to page 1.The novel follows the secret marriage of two young people, and is set prior to the Civil War.From the library of "the earliest woman collector of Americana of the first rank", Natalie Knowlton Blair, who converted the attic of her Manhattan mansion into museum rooms where she displayed her collections of American and European antiques and books. With her Blairhame bookplate to the front pastedown, and held in two cloth covered slip cases.Illustrated by the author and E. W. Kemble, with a frontispiece and numerous vignette illustrations.The novel was adapted into a motion picture in 1915. Author Francis Hopkinson Smith was also an artist and engineer, and built the foundation for the Statue of Liberty. In the publisher's original cloth binding, housed in two cloth covered slip cases. Externally, excellent, with light shelf wear to spine tail. Bookplate to front pastedown. Smaller slip case in fine condition. Age toning to larger slip case back strip, otherwise excellent. Internally, firmly bound. Pages exceptionally clean and bright. Very Good Indeed . Ill.: E. W. Kemble; F. Hopkinson Smith. Very Good Indeed .