Preface George Ade (1 results)

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. 2nd printing. Pages tight and clean; boards show a bit of overall wear. Lacking the DJ. Inscribed on front endpaper: "To my kind friend, Mr. J. Willicombe,/ this little book is presented with the best wishes for his success and happiness./ Cordially, Horace A. Wade/ New York City, Dec. 30, 1920." (J. Willicombe could be Joseph Willicombe, W.R. Hearst's personal secretary, but I guess we'll never know.) Wade's book, written at age 11 and published unedited, made him a celebrity -- he sold out lecture halls around the country. "In the Shadow of Great Peril" isn't what one might expect from a precocious youth -- it's a stirring patriotic novel featuring "fine, brave American boys" named Bob, Dick, George, and Fred. The final paragraph promises "many thrilling episodes in the pages of my next book, entitled 'The Heavy Hand of Justice.'" A shame that there's no record of that book ever being published, though Wade went on to publish some eight hundred articles and several more books, on horse racing; he served as general manager of the River Downs track. An uncommon title, particularly signed (the facsimile-inscription dedication doesn't count). I'll include a second copy of the book, a VG/G third printing with a dust jacket. 171 pages. Inscribed by Author(s). …