Books

New York: The Grafton Press, 1909. First Edition, First Printing. Near Fine. 8vo, 7 3/16 x 5 in. (185 x 125 mm); pp. 279 on cream stock, trimmed. Original dark blue vertically-ribbed cloth, gilt titling on front cover and spine, splitting to rear pastedown and hinge, not affecting rear joint which is fully intact. Neat ownership inscription from 1919 along top of front pastedown and ffep. One of 1000 copies. [Sawyer p.37; Firmage 1; Wilson A1]. This is the first edition, first printing of Gertrude Stein's (1874-1946) first published book and is from the first issue of 700 copies, with a further 300 copies exported to Britain and distributed with an altered tipped in title page in 1915. The three stories are independent of each other, but all are set in Bridgepoint (based on Baltimore) and each tells the story of a working-class woman. The themes range from female bonding, to race, to gender and sexuality. Its style is unconventional for its time and influenced by French…

A novel consisting of three separate stories, exploring the lives and experiences of three women.