Three Letters of Credit, first work of fiction published in British Columbia

Scaife, Arthur

Published by Province Publishing, Victoria, B.C., 1894

About this Item

The first work of fiction published in British Columbia. Scaife, Arthur (writing under pseudonym of Kim Bilir). Three Letters of Credit and Other Stories. Victoria: Province Publishing Company. 1894. First edition. Preface dated December 1894. 8vo. Paperback with green covers. [8], 123 pp. Arthur Hodgkin Scaife (1855-1934) was born in Australia but grew up and was educated in England. For 18 years he worked in banking and insurance in Constantinople, his experience reflected in the first, and best, story in the collection. In 1892, he settled in Victoria, British Columbia, where he became the first editor of the newspaper The Province, then a weekly elevated journal, now a daily tabloid in Vancouver. During the years 1894 and 1895, he wrote the short story collection, Three Letters of Credit, the first work of fiction published in British Columbia; the first novel, As It Was in The Fifties; and another collection, Gemini and Lesser Lights. These works were published under the pseudonym Kim Bilir which means "Who knows?" in Turkish. In 1897, Scaife left Victoria and not long after returned to England, where he wrote a non-fiction book on the Boer War and a satirical long poem. The title story deals with a bank clerk interacting with humorous fraudsters in Constantinople, quite an enjoyable read. The other stories take place in Vienna (another scam), the Black Sea, Winnipeg, and Greece. They all have a light and sure touch. This book can be read online at Canadiana. 18.3 cm x 14.4 cm. Condition notes: Some browning to edges of front cover. Loss to top and bottom of spine. Heavy chipping to fore-edge of front and back covers, also some loss to top of back cover near spine. Slight soiling to title page, rest of interior very good. Overall good. Rare.

Seller Inventory # 1812

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Three Letters of Credit, first work of fiction published in British Columbia
• Publisher: Province Publishing, Victoria, B.C.
• Publication Date: 1894
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: First edition.
• Condition: Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • British Columbia