Miss Alice Langham is a beautiful and accomplished heiress with all the suitors her circumstances would imply, the most eligible of whom is Reggie King, similarly wealthy and leisured, from the oldest and best of American families. However, for Alice, the man 'who could give her something else besides approval of her beauty and her mind, had not (yet) disclosed himself.' In walks Robert Clay, a self-assured mining engineer, soldier and ex-cowboy. An experienced man, Clay has held a boyish fascination for her since seeing ...
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Miss Alice Langham is a beautiful and accomplished heiress with all the suitors her circumstances would imply, the most eligible of whom is Reggie King, similarly wealthy and leisured, from the oldest and best of American families. However, for Alice, the man 'who could give her something else besides approval of her beauty and her mind, had not (yet) disclosed himself.' In walks Robert Clay, a self-assured mining engineer, soldier and ex-cowboy. An experienced man, Clay has held a boyish fascination for her since seeing her picture in a society publication, motivating his career as prospector and manager of her father's mining operation in the fictional republic of Olancho so that, like Gatsby, he can win his own Daisy. Clay's proto-typical Gatsby pre-occupations are so pronounced that it's impossible to believe that Fitzgerald was unaware of this book: "the great part of the inspiration I have had to do what little I have done came from you. You were a sort of promise of something better to me ... all that part of life that I have never known, the sweetness and the nobleness and grace of civilization." Gatsby himself could have said that! Alice and her younger, less beautiful yet refreshingly unconventional sister, Hope, come to stay in Olancho as an unstable political situation starts to explode. Alvarez is a corrupt governor sympathetic to the Valencia Mining Corps who wishes to be a Dictator, whilst Mendoza is a corrupt general who wishes to be President, antagonistic to Clay after a heated confrontation. Davis was a famous war correspondent and adventurer in his time, an honorary member of Teddy Rosevelt's 'rough riders' and it shows, as all the incidental details in this book smack convincingly of first-hand experience. It has the same kind of tone of self-interested machismo that Hemingway later made a name for himself with, and the same slightly underdone romanticism. The romance is indeed the weak link in what was otherwise a decent, well written read. For Clay, Alice 'appealed to every ambition and to every taste he cherished', yet his affections take a surprising turn. But little is gained by this aspect of the story as revolutionary events take centre stage, and it takes the appearance of an American filibuster named Burke to liven things up again
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 178 p. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
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Near Very Good. No Jacket. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. 358 pp. One illustration has come loose and is laid in. The binding is tight and square, and the text is clean.
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C. D. Gibson. Very Good. No Dj. Book Octavo, hardcover, with paste down on dark green cloth cover. Paste-down has chip else VG. 364 deckled pages. Profiles of six great soldiers, including over 50 pages on Winston Churchill.
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Good. Red cloth, light toning. Bumps and light wear to head and heel of spine. Cover art and gilt in VG shape. small loss to gilt on spine. No DJ. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed. Orders received before 3PM PT typically ship same day. All profits support the non-profit community.
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C. D. Gibson. Good. No Jacket. Book. 12mo-over 6¾-7¾" tall. Illustrated by Gibson. Boards with moderate wear and heavy soiling; spine darkened; pages dusty. Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916) was an American journalist and writer of fiction and drama, known foremost as the first American war correspondent to cover the Spanish-American War, the Second Boer War, and the First World War. His writing greatly assisted the political career of Theodore Roosevelt. He also played a major role in the evolution of the American magazine.
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Good. No Dj. Book 12 mo. hardcover, red boardfs with paste-on. Early edition, well preserved. Illus. by C. D. Gibson. Paper picture pasted on cover. Light sun to spine; red cloth with gilt. VG. 364 pp.