THAT FIRST AFFAIR AND OTHER SKETCHES ..

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1896. Octavo, pp. [1-4] [i-vi] vii-viii [1-2] 3-177 [178-180: blank] [note: last leaf is a blank], illustrations by C. D, Gibson, A. B. Frost, F. T. Richards, and J. A. Mitchell, original pictorial green cloth, front panel stamped in white and gold, spine panel stamped in gold, t.e.g., other edges untrimmed. First edition, second printing with half title reading "That First Affair / And Other Sketches" and "Trow" imprint on copyright page. A collection of five short stories, all but one fantastic or supernatural, the first, middle and last bringing various perspectives to bear on the subject of romantic love, while the other two act as intermezzos. The title story provides a decidedly un-Biblical and revisionary telling of the story of Adam and Eve, artfully blending irony and pathos, and sidestepping pitfalls that would have ruined most writers. "Mrs. Lofter's Ride" delicately vivisects the snobbery of the New York 400, generating some surprisingly vital comedy along with the satire. In the middle piece, "The Portraits," an old thwarted love affair between two (now elderly) people is reprised by their grandchildren and finally consummated -- with supernatural help effected through the mechanism of two portraits on either side of the Atlantic. "The Man Who Vanished" is a mordant confection about sport, with a talking bear, that might have been called "The Hunted and the Hunters." The last story, "A Bachelor's Supper," is a bittersweet glance at the fate of an old bachelor who invites the shades (or are they just memories?) of his seven old lovers to a midnight supper. The gentle wistfulness of the tone receives a turn of the screw in the last sentence. This final story makes a nice bookend to the collection's first tale, each painting the joys and agonies of an alternate approach to life -- marriage vs. celibacy -- and together reinforcing the old saw about women and the impracticability of living either with them or without them. An excellent collection. Mitchell brings a sure and light touch to material that is not at all lightweight. The results are amusing, provocative and oddly moving. Bleiler (1978), p. 141. Reginald 10186. BAL 14039. Wright (III) 3772. A bright, clean, very good copy. (#110203) (Inventory #: 110203)