Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸

$55.00
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸
Alice of Old Vincennes by Maurice Thompson (1900 Copyright Reprint) - Tri-Color Decorative Binding 🗡️🏰🇺🇸

This volume is an authenticated early reprint of Alice of Old Vincennes, the immensely popular historical romance novel by Maurice Thompson. Published by Grosset & Dunlap under the 1900 copyright, this book is a significant artifact of early 20th-century American fiction.

The book's collectible value is secured by its high Aesthetic Premium—the visually striking light green, tri-color pictorial cloth binding. It retains the iconic illustrations by F. C. Yohn. This piece is a strong acquisition for a collector of Edwardian decorative bindings and American historical fiction classics.

 

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨

 

Alice of Old Vincennes is a historical romance set during the American Revolutionary War, specifically focusing on the 1779 campaign led by Colonel George Rogers Clark to capture the British stronghold of Fort Sackville at Vincennes (modern Indiana). The plot centers on the spirited and independent Alice Roussillon, a young woman caught between the conflict of the American patriots and the British forces.

The novel provides a compelling, if romanticized, account of this crucial Western campaign of the Revolutionary War. The content list reveals the historical and romantic mix, with chapters such as "The First Mayor of Vincennes," "A Fencing Bout," and "The Dilemma of Captain Helm." The novel is generously illustrated by F. C. Yohn, including a frontispiece and an intense scene where "Steady,' growled Kenton, 'wait until they come nigh enough.'"

 

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️

 

James Maurice Thompson (1844–1901) was an American novelist, poet, and editor, best known for this novel and his earlier, highly successful book, The Hoosier Nest. Thompson was a veteran of the Confederate Army and often wrote about the American South, natural history, and archery.

Thompson's literary career peaked with this novel, which became a massive commercial success at the turn of the 20th century. The book is dedicated in a lyrical letter from the author, dated July, 1900, which connects the historical conflict to the "breezy summer-house on a headland of the Louisiana gulf coast." The book's illustrator, F. C. Yohn, was a leading American artist of the era, celebrated for his dynamic and meticulously researched illustrations of historical and military scenes.

 

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜

 

This book was originally published in 1900, a year marking the transition from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era in America. The turn of the century saw a massive surge in American nationalism following the Spanish-American War, which fueled a public appetite for historical tales of American martial heroism.

The novel's focus on the Revolutionary War's Western Campaign provided a foundational narrative for the new century, celebrating the grit and determination of the American pioneers. Thompson subtly ties the romance to verifiable history, noting the story is based on his research to clear up the connection between the protagonist's life and the capture of Vincennes by Colonel George Rogers Clark. This volume is a time capsule of the era's taste for romanticized, patriotic historical fiction that reassured the nation of its heroic origins.

 

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️

 

This volume is tailored for a Curator of Edwardian Decorative Book Design and a Scholar of American Historical Romance. The Ideal Collector seeks books that were culturally influential at the turn of the 20th century.

The book belongs in a collection focused on American Regional History (Indiana/Illinois) or a library that features the iconic illustrations of F. C. Yohn. The high aesthetic quality of the binding makes it an appealing decorative piece that visually anchors a collection of early 20th-century American classics.

 

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️

 

This book is a reprint edition from the early 20th century (copyright 1900), making it 125 years old. Published by the mass-market reprint house Grosset & Dunlap, this is a common edition. The later printing status and the lack of a dust jacket mandate a mandatory deduction.

The book's value is secured entirely by its Aesthetic Premium. The tri-color pictorial cover and the spine design featuring a crossed sword and tomahawk are highly desirable features of Edwardian-era binding. The clean appearance and structural integrity allow the book to be positioned at a premium price, rewarding the collector for the superior visual quality of this antique volume.

 

7. Condition 🔎📚✨

 

This is an early reprint hardcover lacking the original dust jacket. The binding is a light green cloth with red, black, and gilt stamping.

  • Positive Qualities:

    • The binding is tight and square, providing excellent structural integrity.

    • The tri-color pictorial stamping on the front board is bright and crisp, retaining its full aesthetic appeal.

    • The illustrations by F. C. Yohn and the full text are present and intact.

  • Imperfections:

    • The cloth boards show moderate rubbing and shelf wear, typical for a book of this age.

    • The spine and edges exhibit light fraying to the cloth at the ends.

    • The pages are uniformly age-toned and slightly brittle.

    • The absence of the original dust jacket mandates a significant deduction.

 

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

 

  • The novel was the second highest-selling book in America in 1900, behind only To Have and To Hold, making it an immediate cultural phenomenon.

  • The setting, Vincennes, is the oldest city in Indiana and was founded in 1732 by French fur traders.

  • The dedication is a personal letter from Thompson dated July, 1900, which contrasts the historical novel with the "breezy summer-house" where the work was completed.

  • The preface specifically references Thompson's research on the "capture of Vincennes by Colonel George Rogers Clark", grounding the romance in a verifiable Revolutionary War event.

 

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

 

  • Title: Alice of Old Vincennes

  • Author: Maurice Thompson

  • Illustrator: F. C. Yohn

  • Year of Publication: 1900 (Copyright Date)

  • Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers (Original Publisher: The Bowen-Merrill Company)

  • Place of Origin: New York, Printed in USA

  • Format/Binding: Hardcover, Light Green Decorative Cloth Boards with Tri-Color Stamping

  • Edition: Early Reprint Printing (Copyright 1900)

  • Rarity: Common Edition, High Aesthetic Premium

  • Verbatim Transcription of Inscription/Marking: None

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