Lardner, Ring W.

TREAT 'EM ROUGH: Letters from Jack the Kaiser Killer; [with typed letter signed by Lardner affixed to front endpaper].

Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill Company, (1918). First edition. First issue without the poem by H. H. Howland on page [6]. Brief typed letter SIGNED BY LARDNER affixed to front pastedown. Measures approximately 6.5" x 4"; typed on Chicago Tribune letterhead (where Lardner worked for years) and dated simply "August 30th", it reads: "Dear Mr. Hanson:-/ Sure./ Ring W. Lardner." Small 8vo green cloth boards stamped in red on spine; pictorial plate printed in black and red affixed to front cover, as issued; full plate illustrations by Frank Crerie. In the "Bobbs-Merrill Economy Mailing Book Jacket" (as issued) printed on brown kraft paper with thin gummed edge (unused) on verso of the over-wide front flap which is designed to be folded over the back panel to serve as a mailing label. Good to very good with boards just slightly splayed, spine cloth toned, spine lettering fading but readable, scattered foxing to page edges, and unavoidable offset to endpapers (from binding materials); in good to about very good dust jacket with shallow chips, edges lightly creased and rubbed, and internal archival tape repair to splits at spine and folds. Uncommon with Lardner's signature.
Item #55208

Price: $1,200.00