H.R.

New York: Harper & Brothers, 1915. First Edition. Octavo (8vo), measuring approximately 8 x 5¼ inches (20 x 13.5 cm). 337 pages. Illustrated with frontispiece portrait, complete with original tissue guard. Original publisher’s blue cloth, gilt-lettered on spine and front cover. A notable presentation copy, inscribed by Lefevre on the front free endpaper in the year of publication: "To Agnes Evans with the best wishes of her friend Edwin Lefevre Christmas 1915." The recipient, Agnes Evans, was a prominent burlesque and Broadway actress active in the 1890s and early 1900s. She appeared in the 1904 production of The Pit and served as lead actress for the Gaiety Burlesque Company, adding meaningful theatrical association to this copy. Condition: Front hinge cracked but binding remains sound and holding firmly. Spine moderately age-darkened with light wear at head and foot. Several small stains to cloth covers. One page dog-eared. Interior generally clean; tissue guard intact. A solid, unrestored first edition with strong association value. About the Work: H.R. follows the ambitious rise of Henry Rutger from a young New York bank clerk to a powerful financial magnate with aspirations toward the Presidency. The novel reflects Lefevre’s deep understanding of Wall Street, speculation, and American business culture, themes he explored with equal authority in Reminiscences of a Stock Operator and The Making of a Stockbroker. Blending fiction with financial realism, H.R. offers insight into early 20th-century American capitalism and political ambition. An increasingly scarce Lefevre first edition, especially desirable in inscribed form and with documented Broadway association.