Adventures In Friendship, by David Grayson, (RARE, First Edition, Illustrated), 1910 📜✍️🏛️

1. Introduction 📜🔍🏛️

This listing is for a rare First Edition, First Printing of "Adventures in Friendship" by David Grayson, the pen name of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ray Stannard Baker.

Published by Doubleday, Page & Company in October 1910, this collection of essays celebrates the simple joys of rural life and human connection.

It features illustrations by Thomas Fogarty.

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2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨

"Adventures in Friendship" is a collection of essays that celebrate the simple joys and deep connections found in everyday life and human relationships. Through his contemplative and reflective prose, Grayson explores the value of genuine friendship, the beauty of nature, and the importance of finding contentment in the present moment.

The book serves as a gentle reminder to slow down, appreciate the beauty of simplicity, and embrace the richness of human companionship.

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3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️✨

David Grayson was the pen name of Ray Stannard Baker, an American journalist, author, and social reformer.

While he achieved significant recognition under his own name for his investigative journalism and social commentary, it was as David Grayson that he found widespread popularity with his essays celebrating rural life and simple living.

Baker’s achievements under his own name include winning the Pulitzer Prize for his biography of Woodrow Wilson.

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4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

Published in 1910, this book belongs to the Progressive Era in America, a time of rapid industrialization and social change.

Grayson's essays, with their focus on rural life and a return to nature, offered a popular counterpoint to the stresses of modern urban existence. 

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5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

This 1910 First Edition of "Adventures in Friendship" is a core acquisition for a collector building a focused library on American social history and the Progressive Era. It is a perfect fit for a literary historian who appreciates the intersection of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author's work with a widely popular pseudonym.

This volume is an ideal centerpiece for a private collection focused on pastoral essays and Americana. 

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6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

The author, writing under a pseudonym, was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, which adds an interesting layer of intellectual provenance.

The illustrations by Thomas Fogarty and the unique time stamped personal inscription, "Wilma - From Lucy & Ana. Christmas 1919," further enhance its market value.

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7. Condition 🔎📚✨ This book is a used hardcover edition with a decorative green cloth binding. The binding shows visible wear consistent with its age, including rubbing, scuffing, and some discoloration to the boards. The gold lettering shows some fading but remains largely discernible. The pages are age-toned but remain clear and legible. A handwritten inscription is on the front endpaper.

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8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• David Grayson was the pen name of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ray Stannard Baker.

• Thomas Fogarty was a celebrated illustrator whose work was featured in popular magazines like The Saturday Evening Post and Harper's Magazine.

• The personal inscription, "Wilma - From Lucy & Ana. Christmas 1919," documents the book's journey to a specific individual and transforms the volume from a collectible book into a singular historical artifact.

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9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Title: Adventures in Friendship

• Author/Maker: David Grayson (Ray Stannard Baker)

• Year: 1910

• Publisher/Foundry: Doubleday, Page & Company

• Place of Origin: New York, USA

• Format/Binding: Hardcover with decorative gilt stamping

• Edition: First Edition, First Printing

• Rarity: Rare

• Transcription: The handwritten inscription reads: “Wilma - From Lucy & Ana. Christmas 1919.”