A ROOM WITH A VIEW by Forster, E.M - 1908

London: Edward Arnold, 1908. Very good plus. Presentation copy of the first edition of this English romance set against the churches and galleries of Florence. In her foundational critical work on the history of the romance novel, Pamela Regis devotes an entire chapter to A ROOM WITH A VIEW, arguing that it not only meets every requirement for an "ideal" romance, but is consciously structured with a double layer of symbolism and reality to pave the way to a happy ending: "Where Austen employed [the romance novel's formal elements] quietly, submerging them into the narrative, Forster manipulates them brazenly" (100). As with many romances, A ROOM WITH A VIEW is not without its additional complexity: the touches of modern cynicism sewn into an Edwardian narrative mixed with mythic parallels makes an altogether striking composition. Presentation copies are rare. Octavo. 7.5'' x 5.25''. Original red cloth lettered in gilt. Publisher's catalogue at rear. viii, 324, 8 pages. Pencil owner name of "Charles J. Bathurst" on front free endpaper. "Presentation copy" stamped in green framed ink on title page. Spine gently sunned, with a couple spots to cloth. Moderate foxing to endpapers, lighter on text block edges and sometimes in margins.