The Young Visitors

New York: George H. Doran Company, 1919 This is a novella written by a nine year old girl in 1890. She was discovered by J.M.Barrie, who also apparently edited it somewhat. The original spelling remains, but he says in his introduction that the original was one long paragraph, but he had split it into chapters for ease of reading. The jacket remarks by Hugh Walpole mention that four editions were printed in London in one month, and they generally seem to advise the American public that they are about to encounter a treasure, therefore am guessing that this was a first U.S. edition. The book includes a holograph of the original manuscript, as well as a frontispiece of the author, a young girl with mischievous expression in a sailor dress. The first page is greatly appealing in its beginning, "Mr. Salteena was an elderly man of 42 and was fond of asking peaple to stay with him. He had quite a young girl staying with him of 17 named Ethel Monticue. . . . She had a blue velvit frock which had grown rarther short in the sleeves." This copy has former owner signature on ffep, but given its period style and faded ink, it does not really detract. Pages are of course somewhat yellowed and edges dustsoiled. There is light edgewear and the corners are bumped. The dust jacket is yellowed and soiled with several small chips and tears, particularly at top and bottom of spine, where 1/8-1/4 inch is missing. It is also splitting at the fold between the front and inner panels, but is unclipped and 98 per cent complete. Price of "one dollar net" is printed on the jacket spine. Grey on grey boards depict wraparound design of marionnettes in victorian dress. This Very Good volume in Good + dust jacket is still sturdy and sound.