The Unknown Quantity by Henry Van Dyke (1912, First Edition) 📚🍊✨
This is a visually appealing and genuine First Edition of short stories by the prominent American author, clergyman, and diplomat Henry Van Dyke. The binding features a desirable Art Nouveau design, likely by Margaret Armstrong, making it highly collectible as a piece of decorative book art.
1. Book Details & Provenance
| Detail | Specification |
| Title | The Unknown Quantity: A Book of Romance And Some Half-Told Tales |
| Author | Henry Van Dyke |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons, New York |
| Publication Date | 1912 (Published October 1912) |
| Edition Status | First Edition (Verified by 1912 copyright and matching publication month) |
| Binding Style | Publisher's Pictorial Cloth (Likely Dark Blue) |
| Design Style | Art Nouveau/Arts & Crafts (Featuring stylized floral/orange tree motifs) |
2. Aesthetic and Collectibility
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Cover Design: The book is most notable for its beautiful cover, decorated in heavy gold gilt and contrasting color (orange for the fruit) against the dark blue cloth. This style of elaborate pictorial binding is highly collectible, often associated with designers like Margaret Armstrong.
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Literary Context: Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) was a well-regarded author of poetry, essays, and stories, and served as a professor at Princeton and U.S. Minister to the Netherlands. His works, particularly The Story of the Other Wise Man, are enduring classics.
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Illustrations: The book contains printed illustrations, including a color frontispiece (visible in PXL_20241230_175940412.jpg) and plates facing specific pages. The title page features a detailed ornamental print.
3. Condition & Notable Features
| Feature | Condition | Significance |
| Binding/Cover | Good. The cover design remains vibrant in gilt and color. Edge wear and moderate shelf rubbing are visible, particularly on the spine/joints. | The Art Nouveau cover is the book's primary asset. |
| Page Edges | Top Edge Gilt (TEG) (Implied by standard Scribner's practice and image) with fore-edge untrimmed and tanned (yellowed). | Confirms a higher-quality first printing binding style. |
| Interior Text | Good. Pages show age toning/yellowing typical of paper from this era. | Readable and intact. |
| Uncut Pages | CRITICAL NOTE: Some pages are still joined at the fore-edge. | This is rare. It indicates the book was never fully read or used, a unique sign of preservation. |
| Inscriptions | Handwritten pencil or light ink notes on the back cover flyleaf: "uRab pes net". | Provides unique, if illegible, personal provenance; common in vintage books. |
4. Valuation and Pricing
The market value for Henry Van Dyke's first editions varies widely based on condition and the presence of the dust jacket (which is not present here). Excellent copies of this title sell in the range of $40 to $75 (without a dust jacket). The unique, unread state of the interior pages acts as a strong value multiplier.
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Valuation Driver: Highly attractive Margaret Armstrong-style cover, verified First Edition, and the rarity of uncut/unopened pages.
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Discount Factor: No Dust Jacket, moderate wear to the spine.
