Description

“A NEW NOTE IN AMERICAN PROSE”: FIRST ISSUE OF CRANE’S CLASSIC THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE WITH A VERY RARE TYPED LETTER SIGNED BY CRANE
REFERRING TO THE WORK

CRANE, Stephen. The Red Badge of Courage, An Episode of the American Civil War. New York: D. Appleton, 1895. Octavo, original tan buckram decorated in red, black, and gilt, brown coated endpapers, uncut. Housed in a custom half morocco slipcase.

First edition, first issue of this classic Civil War novel, with a typed letter signed laid in: “1 May 1899. Sir:- As I remember it, the Red Badge of Courage occupied some eight months of my time. Stephen Crane.” Letters by Crane are quite scarce—even more so are those referring to his masterpiece.

“From reading Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, from no actual experience save Crane’s own struggles and failures, came this realistic picture of war, its truth vouchsafed for by veterans; but more than this, an extraordinary study of the common man amid the turmoil, clamor, and distortion typified by war… Its intensity, its startling yet inevitable descriptive phrase, struck a new note in American prose” (DAB). First issue, with all first issue points. BAL 4071. Without rare dust jacket. Autograph letter fine. Slight darkening to spine of book.