The Foreigner by Ralph Connor (FIRST EDITION), 1909 🇨🇦🇺🇸📜

This is a rare First American Edition, First Printing of The Foreigner: A Tale of Saskatchewan, by the celebrated Canadian author Ralph Connor.

The volume is classified as a top-shelf acquisition for collectors of Canadian literature and American Western history.

Its value is secured by its key bibliographical milestone and a non-replicable inscription of ownership from Oakland, California, providing a strong Provenance Premium.

2. About the Artwork/Book/Object 📖✍️✨ The novel, subtitled "A Tale of Saskatchewan," focuses on the challenging assimilation of Eastern European immigrants—particularly Ukrainian and Galician peoples—into the rugged, Anglo-dominated culture of the Canadian Prairies. The narrative follows the character of the foreigner through a story of conflict, crime, and redemption.

The chapter titles, such as "Where East meets West," "The Grip of British Law," and "The Making of a Man," illustrate the core theme of cultural friction and integration. The binding is a striking red publisher’s cloth with a large, embossed circular medallion depicting a family unit (father, mother, and child), which visually underscores the novel’s focus on the immigrant family .

3. About the Artist/Author/Maker ✍️🏛️ Ralph Connor was the pseudonym for Charles William Gordon (1860–1937), a Canadian Presbyterian minister and author. Gordon was one of the best-selling Canadian authors of the early 20th century, using his fiction to explore the social issues and moral challenges facing the rapidly developing Canadian West.

Gordon’s books, such as The Sky Pilot and The Man From Glengarry, were foundational to Canadian national literature. As a minister, his work often carried a powerful social message, evident in the preface of The Foreigner, where he argues for justice and charity towards the immigrant population.

4. Historical/Political Era Context 🌍🕰️📜 This First Edition was published in 1909, at the height of the settlement boom in the Canadian Prairies, where millions of Eastern European immigrants arrived. The novel directly addresses the major political and social issue of the time: how Canada would integrate massive, non-British immigrant populations into its society.

The preface states the urgent need to "fuse into a people whose strength will endure" the shock of new cultures. This book is a direct social and political document reflecting the anxieties and aspirations of the Canadian national identity during the Edwardian Era. The subsequent ownership by a collector in Oakland, California, shows the volume's immediate cross-border circulation into the American West.

5. The Ideal Collector 💡🧐🏛️ This volume is an essential acquisition for a curator of Canadian/American Western Literary History and immigration studies.

It is ideally suited for a collector who specializes in documented early 20th-century American ownership of Canadian First Editions. The specific, handwritten inscription from Mrs. C. L. Birch of Oakland, California, transforms this volume into a unique artifact of regional Americana.

6. Value & Rarity 💎✨🏛️ This book is a First American Edition, First Printing, a key bibliographical milestone for a best-selling author. The book is approximately 116 years old.

Its Bibliographical Scarcity is moderate, as it was a popular title, but the rarity is significantly elevated by the verifiable inscription of early ownership from Oakland. This non-replicable chain of ownership provides a strong Provenance Premium that justifies its investment-grade status over a clean copy.

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

• Binding: Bound in the original red publisher’s cloth with the title and author stamped in gold gilt.

• Cover Art: The embossed medallion of the immigrant family is crisp and fully legible .

• Spine: The spine shows fading from red to an orange tone and light rubbing at the ends.

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

• Inscription: Contains a clear handwritten ownership inscription on the front free endpaper.

• Page Edges: The top and bottom page edges show light rubbing.

8. Fun Facts & Unique Features 🤓📜🤩

• The Pseudonym: Ralph Connor (Charles William Gordon) chose his pseudonym because Ralph was the name of his son, and Connor was his mother's maiden name.

• The Clandestine Publishing: The book was published by Hodder & Stoughton (London/Toronto) and George H. Doran Company (New York) in a joint imprint, reflecting its immediate cross-border commercial appeal.

• The Emotive Preface: The book's preface, dated Winnipeg, 1909, contains a powerful closing statement arguing that Canadians should "fuse into a people whose strength will endure," emphasizing the urgent national dialogue of the time.

• The Author's Identity: After becoming a best-selling author, Charles William Gordon had to reveal his true identity, as his book sales became too large to attribute to an anonymous figure.

9. Supporting Information 🏷️📦💰

• Object Type: First Edition Novel (Americana/Canadiana)

• Author: Ralph Connor (Charles William Gordon)

• Title: The Foreigner: A Tale of Saskatchewan

• Year/Period: 1909 (Copyright and Publication)

• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton and George H. Doran Company

• Place of Origin: New York

• Format/Binding: Red Publisher's Cloth with Embossed Medallion

• Edition/Rarity: First American Edition, First Printing

• Transcription of Inscription (Front Free Endpaper): Mrs. C. L. Birch 3906 – 14th Ave Oakland Calif. / 15