A Lost Lady by Willa Cather (Twentieth Printing), 1952 📚🇺🇸🌉

This volume of A Lost Lady by Willa Cather is a top-shelf documentary artifact of American literary and bookselling history.

The book is an authenticated Twentieth Printing from the prestigious Alfred A. Knopf (Borzoi) imprint. It is distinguished by its verifiable Provenance Premium from the Paul Elder's Books in San Francisco.

Its value is secured by the non-replicable California bookselling history and its function as a tangible record of Cather's enduring presence on the West Coast literary scene.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ A Lost Lady is considered a masterpiece of Willa Cather’s canon, narrating the story of Marian Forrester, a refined woman whose moral ambiguity challenges the rigid social structure of a Nebraska prairie town. The novel is a complex study of the decline of the pioneer spirit.

The volume is a later printing, featuring the iconic Borzoi dog emblem of Alfred A. Knopf on the cover and title page. The title page is marked MCMLII (1952) in Roman numerals, a decorative feature of the publisher. The book contains a full list of "The Works of Willa Cather," confirming its status as a collector's edition published while her works remained canonical.

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ Willa Cather (1873–1947) was a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and a foundational figure in American regional literature. Her novels, including O Pioneers! and My Ántonia, captured the pioneering spirit and the vast landscape of the American Midwest.

Cather’s work remains critically acclaimed for its lyrical style and psychological depth. The publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., established the Borzoi Books imprint as a symbol of literary quality and distinctive aesthetic design, associating Cather with one of the most respected names in 20th-century American publishing.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 The book was originally copyrighted in 1923, placing the novel’s creation in the Roaring Twenties—a period of social liberation that influenced the novel’s central theme of Marian Forrester’s rejection of pioneer morality.

The printing of this edition in 1952 occurred during the Post-War Boom, a time when Cather’s works were being solidified as American classics, leading to steady demand for quality reprints. The book’s clear tie to Paul Elder's Books in San Francisco documents the West Coast's sophisticated book trade in the mid-20th century, highlighting the coast-to-coast influence of American literary canon.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This volume is an essential acquisition for a curator of American Literary Provenance and the history of the West Coast book trade.

It is ideally suited for a collector who specializes in Willa Cather’s canon and seeks items with specific, verifiable institutional ties to California. The Paul Elder's Books San Francisco sticker transforms this volume into a unique artifact of regional Americana and literary commerce.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This volume is approximately 72 years old, representing Cather's enduring place in American letters.

Its scarcity is low as a later trade printing. The monetary value is sustained entirely by its Provenance Premium. The intact sticker of Paul Elder's Books, San Francisco, provides a non-replicable chain of ownership tying the volume to a famous West Coast bookseller. This documentation commands a premium from collectors who prioritize traceable institutional history.

7. Condition 🔎📚✨ The physical condition has been assessed directly from the provided high-resolution photography. The book is deemed to be in Very Good Vintage Condition.

• Binding: Bound in publisher's original green cloth.

• Printing: Twentieth Printing, confirmed by the copyright page.

• Endpaper Sticker: Features the original, intact Paul Elder's Books, San Francisco, sticker on the rear endpaper.

• Inscriptions: Contains handwritten pencil marks detailing a past price and inventory number.

• Text Block: The text block is secure and clean, with light toning appropriate for its age.

• Wear: The cloth binding shows light rubbing along the edges, consistent with careful use over time.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• Paul Elder’s Legacy: Paul Elder's Books was one of San Francisco's most distinguished bookstores, known not only as a seller but also as a highly regarded publisher and cultural institution for much of the 20th century.

• The Borzoi Mark: The Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound) became the emblem of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., symbolizing the publisher's commitment to releasing books of literary grace and style.

• Roman Numeral Dating: The title page uses MCMLII (1952) in Roman numerals, a decorative element often used by Knopf to lend a classical authority to their modern publications.

• The Nebraska Setting: Like much of Cather's greatest work, A Lost Lady is set in the vast, imposing landscape of Nebraska, using the environment to reflect the internal struggles of the characters.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: Vintage Novel (Literary Provenance Copy)

• Author: Willa Cather

• Title: A Lost Lady

• Year/Period: 1952 (Twentieth Printing)

• Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.

• Place of Origin: New York

• Format/Binding: Publisher’s Green Cloth (Borzoi Book)

• Edition/Rarity: Twentieth Printing (Documentary Artifact)

• Transcription of Markings (Key):

  • Paul Elder's Books, San Francisco (Intact Sticker)

  • $16 (Pencil Price) / #4114 (Pencil Inventory Code)