Grace Miller White. From the Valley of the Missing. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. Early edition in scarce original Penrhyn Stanlaws dust jacket.
A beautiful surviving 1911 edition featuring one of Penrhyn Stanlaws' most memorable book jacket designs, reproduced again, in full, as the color frontispiece.
Original illustrated dust jackets from before 1920 are particularly uncommon. Publishers intended them as temporary wrappers, and they did not come into widespread use until the 1920s. Attractive pictorial jackets from the early 1910s seldom survive.
This copy retains its scarce original jacket, bright blue publisher's cloth, and a remarkably vivid Stanlaws portrait. The only book issue is an old gilt ownership stamp, "Helen E. Faulkner," on the front cover.
Please see the separate eBay Condition Description for a complete condition report and all noted flaws.
An outstanding copy for collectors of Penrhyn Stanlaws, illustrated American fiction, early dust jackets, and Grace Miller White's popular Storm Country novels.
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From the Valley of the Missing
Grace Miller White
New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1911.
A remarkably attractive surviving 1911 edition (same year as the W.J. Watt & Company first edition) retaining its original Penrhyn Stanlaws dust jacket—one of the more memorable American illustrated jackets produced before the First World War.
Penrhyn Stanlaws ranks among the premier American illustrators of the early twentieth century, best remembered for his elegant magazine covers, Gibson-era portraiture, and idealized female figures. His haunting image created for From the Valley of the Missing was reproduced both as the color frontispiece and as the dramatic jacket design.
Collectors sometimes forget that original dust jackets issued before 1920 are genuinely uncommon. Most publishers regarded them simply as disposable protective wrappers. Only during the 1920s did illustrated dust jackets become commonplace and widely preserved. Consequently, surviving examples from the early 1910s—particularly those with strong pictorial appeal—are encountered far less frequently than later jackets.
This copy preserves that visual impact. The Stanlaws portrait remains rich and luminous, with excellent color and strong eye appeal despite honest age-related wear.
The publisher's light blue cloth binding is exceptionally well preserved, unusually bright and clean, with crisp black and red stamping throughout. An earlier owner, Helen E. Faulkner, had her name stamped in gilt on the front cover. Aside from this ownership marking, the binding presents in exceptionally fine condition.
The original dust jacket remains complete with both flaps. It shows chipping at the spine ends and upper edges, several short edge tears, and staining visible on the reverse side that lightly bleeds through portions of the rear panel. Even with these condition issues, the jacket displays beautifully and is an unusually appealing survivor from 1911.
Issued with a single color frontispiece by Penrhyn Stanlaws, which remains bright and fresh. No additional illustrations were published in the volume.
Copies retaining the original Stanlaws jacket appear only infrequently on the market, making this an appealing opportunity for collectors of illustrated Americana, Penrhyn Stanlaws, early dust jackets, or Grace Miller White's Storm Country novels.
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