Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, (1928.). SIGNED hardcover first edition - An interesting reminder of early aviation history and an uncommon early edition of this Pulitzer prize-winning novel set on a plantation in South Carolina and written in dialect. However, far from depicting the black people of the South with the usual stereotype, they are described as "Gullahs with tall straight bodies, and high heads filled with sense." This airplane edition is SIGNED on a blank preliminary page at the front, with the number 674 (out of 1000) in the upper corner, printed on thin India paper and bound in lightweight, flexible boards. In the 1920s commercial passenger air travel was still in its first decade, and it was both uncomfortable and…
Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill, (1928.). SIGNED hardcover first edition - An interesting reminder of early aviation history and an uncommon early edition of this Pulitzer prize-winning novel set on a plantation in South Carolina and written in dialect. However, far from depicting the black people of the South with the usual stereotype, they are described as "Gullahs with tall straight bodies, and high heads filled with sense." This airplane edition is SIGNED on a blank preliminary page at the front, with the number 674 (out of 1000) in the upper corner, printed on thin India paper and bound in lightweight, flexible boards. In the 1920s commercial passenger air travel was still in its first decade, and it was both uncomfortable and expensive as well as uncommon (the first stewardesses were not on planes until 1931) and the first mass market paperbacks would not appear until ten years later. An appealing small volume, measuring 6 3/4 inches tall, 4 1/2 inches wide, and just 3/8 inch in bulk. 345 pp. Illustrated endpapers.
Condition: Very near fine in black cloth with gold panel on front cover with embossed black lettering and a small vignette of a plane in the lower left corner with the words "Airplane Edition."
New York: George H. Doran, 1920. Hardcover first edition - The title character - Wildcat - is a black man who is drafted in World War I - much of the novel is in dialect.
Condition: Noticeable wear to the red cloth covers, a little fading to the spine, hinges beginning to crack, etc. but overall in good condition, binding is sturdy, the black lettering is still bright, etc. Uncommon in this edition (it was later reprinted by Knopf.)
SCARLET SISTER MARY.
