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Kentucky Cardinal and Aftermath, A.

Kentucky Cardinal and Aftermath, A.

Kentucky Cardinal and Aftermath, A.

by KELLIEGRAM BINDING; THOMSON, Hugh, illustrator; ALLEN, James Lane

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About This Item

London: MacMillan and Co., Limited, 1901. A Fresh and Dainty Tale, Illustrated by Hugh Thomson
In a Fine Pictorial Inlaid Kelliegram Binding

KELLIEGRAM BINDING. THOMSON, Hugh, illustrator. ALLEN, James Lane. A Kentucky Cardinal and Aftermath. By James Lane Allen author of 'The Choir Invisible' etc. London: MacMillan and Co., Limited, [November] 1901.

Octavo (7 x 4 5/8 inches; 178 x 117 mm.). xxxii, 286 pp. Forty-eight full-page illustrations and numerous drawings within the text. Some occasional light foxing, otherwise fine.

First edition, second impression with Hugh Thomson illustrations (published one month after the first impression).

Bound by Kelliegram ca. 1901 (stamp-signed 'Kelliegram Binding London' in gilt on rear turn-in). Full dark green morocco... with a double gilt border enclosing a varicolored morocco pictorial onlay reproducing part of the Hugh Thomson illustration on page 40, "Certain ladies who bow sweetly to me." Spine with five raised bands, decoratively tooled in a floral design and lettered in gilt in compartments, gilt board edges and turn-ins, red silk liners and endleaves, all edges gilt.

Hugh Thomson's (1860-1920) "style seems to have emerged fully formed and to have corresponded perfectly with popular taste, and, while he refined his technical skills during his career, he rarely departed from it. A contemporary of the Brock brothers, he shared their feeling for line, detail, and period atmosphere but remained untouched by the aesthetic movement and the work of other contemporaries such as Arthur Rackham or Edmund Dulac. Reflecting successfully the nostalgia of the time, his fine line drawing of rural characters and gentle countrified society appealed to the imagination of the public; most of Thomson's best-known work is in this idiom. This style sat lightly on the page and reproduced well in smaller formats.

A Kentucky Cardinal, and Aftermath was written by James Lane Allen (1895-96). The ‘Kentucky Cardinal' is a fresh and dainty tale, which may be called an "idyl of the woods." The story tells of the wooing of Adam Moss, a recluse who devotes himself to nature, and who dwells in a garden, which his loving touch converts almost into fairyland, where all the fruits and flowers blossom and ripen to perfection, and where all the birds have learned to rest on their migratory journeys. Adam knows all the birds and loves them best of all living creatures, until he meets Georgianna, his beautiful next-door neighbor. She is a lovely, tormenting, bewildering creature, who eludes him one day, encourages him the next, and scorns him on a third. Despite her endless resources for tormenting Adam, she is undeniably charming and alluring. She is, however, possessed by a vague fear that her lover's fondness for nature and for his birds is something that must prevent his entire allegiance to her. She tests his affection by demanding that he cage for her the splendid "Kentucky cardinal"; and Adam wages a bitter warfare with himself before allowing his love for Georgianna to triumph over his lifelong principle and conscientious attitude towards his feathery friends. The caging of the bird, which beats its life out in the prison, is converted by the author's skill into a veritable tragedy, wherein the reader keenly shares Adam's remorse and Georgianna's grief. The lovers quarrel; and then follows a reconciliation which reveals each more clearly to the other, and unites them finally. The conversations of Georgianna from her window to Adam in his strawberry bed below are a delightful feature of the story, which is enlivened by his dry humor and her witty repartee. ‘Aftermath,' the second part of ‘A Kentucky Cardinal,' follows the lovers through the days of their engagement and their brief wedded life, which is one of ideal happiness while it lasts. Georgianna strives to win her husband from his overmastering fondness for nature; and he, to please her, enters into social life and seeks to interest himself more in the "study of mankind." At the birth of a son Georgianna passes away, leaving her husband to seek consolation where he can best obtain it,—from his beloved "nature." Mr. Allen has a delicate touch and a charm of style; and his descriptions of nature and of bird life possess a really poetic beauty, while they are characterized by a ring of truthfulness which convinces the reader that the author's heart is in his words. There is a blending of pathos and humor in the work which makes it delightful reading.

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Details

Bookseller
David Brass Rare Books, Inc. US (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #
04381
Title
Kentucky Cardinal and Aftermath, A.
Author
KELLIEGRAM BINDING; THOMSON, Hugh, illustrator; ALLEN, James Lane
Book Condition
Used
Quantity Available
1
Publisher
London: MacMillan and Co., Limited, 1901
Keywords
THOMSON, Hugh, illustrator ALLEN, James Lane

Terms of Sale

David Brass Rare Books, Inc.

We will extend to you a 48-hour approval period on all items that are purchased sight unseen. If you are not completely satisfied with the item simply contact us within 48 hours after receipt, and then return it in the same condition you received it for a full refund, less freight charges, or any related costs including credit card transactions, taxes, and duties levied, especially when returning from other countries.

About the Seller

David Brass Rare Books, Inc.

Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Biblio member since 2007
Calabasas, California

About David Brass Rare Books, Inc.

David Brass Rare Books, Inc. specializes in buying and selling only the finest examples of English, American and European Literature, Children\\\'s Books, Color-Plate Books, Illustrated Books, Early Printed Books, Private Press Books, Fine Bindings, Original Artwork, Manuscripts, High Spot Modern First Editions, Rare Books and High Spots.

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Edges
The collective of the top, fore and bottom edges of the text block of the book, being that part of the edges of the pages of a...
Fine
A book in fine condition exhibits no flaws. A fine condition book closely approaches As New condition, but may lack the...
Morocco
Morocco is a style of leather book binding that is usually made with goatskin, as it is durable and easy to dye. (see also...
Spine
The outer portion of a book which covers the actual binding. The spine usually faces outward when a book is placed on a shelf....
Raised Band(s)
Raised bands refer to the ridges that protrude slightly from the spine on leather bound books. The bands are created in the...
Gilt
The decorative application of gold or gold coloring to a portion of a book on the spine, edges of the text block, or an inlay in...
First Edition
In book collecting, the first edition is the earliest published form of a book. A book may have more than one first edition in...
Octavo
Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...

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