Pore Lil Mose by Outcault, R. F - 1902

New York: New York Herald / Grand Union Tea Company. Very Good+. 1902. 1st Edition; 1st Printing. Hardcover. Color Illustrations; This is an oversized (oblong folio - 14 3/4 x 10 1/2") cloth backed book with pictorial card covers. The book is in Near Fine condition and was issued without a dust jacket. The book covers have some beginning rubbing and edge wear to the spine ends and corners. The bottom rear spine end and spine joint is missing some of the cloth (approx. an inch and a half long at the longest). The remainder of the cloth spine is clean, bright and undamaged. The covers have some light spots of foxing (mostly to the rear cover).The text pages are mostly clean and bright - with some light finger spotting to the foredges and some minor foxing throughout. This copy is complete - with 36 (actually 37) pages filled with full color illustrations by Outcault, as one page has been duplicated - "Pore Lil Mose Has Homesickness". This book is scarce in general, but considered truly rare complete and in such clean condition. " he was the first successful comic strip character to achieve a popularity so great that he not only increased the sales of newspapers carrying him, but he was also the first to demonstrate that a comic strip character could be merchandised profitably. In fact, for these two reasons, the Yellow Kid and his creator, R. F. Outcault, are generally credited with permanently establishing the comic strip and making it a part of American society." "When the interest in 'Yellow Kid' cooled down around 1901, Outcault created new features, such as 'Lil' Mose', the first strip with a black as its principal character, in James Gordon Bennett's New York Herald. " Pore Lil Mose is "ranked among the five most valuable Platinum Age Comics by Overstreet". .