Chopin frédéric

1899 · 364153 — Chicago: Herbert S. Stone & Co 1899. First Edition. Hardcover. Very good. The uncommon first edition of this enduring Southern novel about a woman who is awakened to the possibilities of life when she falls in love for the first time with a man who is not her husband. Chopin was born in St. Louis but spent many years in Louisiana where most of her writing was set including this novel which was written after she and her family returned to Missouri.<br /> <br /> While the book generated controversy for its "immoral" premise the Mercantile Library of St. Louis initially purchased a copy and then removed it from circulation a number of early readers recognized it for its groundbreaking portrayal of a woman unwilling to be hemmed in by traditional expectations. The unnamed writer of the "Book Ways and Worldly Ways" column in the Delaware Gazette and State Journal July 13 1899 for example wrote "The topmost book on the table today recommended for summer reading is Kate Chopin's The Awakening.She writes things we women used only whisper in our boudoirs. But we women are getting on aren't we"<br /> <br /> The Newest Books column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch quoted appreciative letters from readers in England and then concluded "Perhaps when the London critics have thoroughly explained the merits of The Awakening American critics who have shown a disposition to look askance at its frank treatment of the commonest of human experiences will discover its value as a work of art."<br /> <br /> Chopin 1850–1904 bore six children between 1871 and 1879. Her husband died in 1882 leaving her in considerable debt. As a widow she had an affair with a married man which may have inspired The Awakening. Chopin and her children soon moved back to Saint Louis where Chopin took up writing. She died in 1904 from a brain hemorrhage following a visit to the World's Fair although the two events may have been entirely coincidental. <br /> <br /> See the Salem Weekly Oregon Statesman September 16 1902. First edition first and only printing. A very good copy and far superior to most copies at auction or in the trade. This copy has a narrow tide mark on the outer page edges particularly in the first half of the book. The back cover has some ink loss probably due to an old encounter with water. However the spine retains most of its green color; the hinges are tight; and the pages have very little foxing. According to the book auction records a lesser copy made $10000 at auction in 2021.<br /> <br /> This copy has the ownership signature of Cara L. Broughton dated August 1899 about a month after the book was published. This Cara Broughton was likely the daughter of Henry Huttleston Rogers who married a British civil engineer Urban Broughton and was made Lady Fairhaven by King George. There is a label of the bookstore W. B. Clarke Co. in Boston which is probably where Broughton purchased it. It also has a penciled price of 40 pence suggesting she took the book with her to England. <br /> <br /> This copy came from the library of one-time New Yorker editor Robert Gottlieb. In addition to the better-than-usual condition this copy is attractive for its history from the bookstore to the original woman who owned it to one of the best-known literary editors of the late 20th century. Herbert S. Stone & Co hardcover