STRIBLING, T. S. [Thomas Sigismund, 1881-1965]

[The Vaiden trilogy, comprising:] The Forge [together with], The Store, [and] Unfinished Cathedral

Garden City / New York: Doubleday, Doran [through 1934], MCMXXXI [1931]. First Printing. Hardcover. Complete three-volume set (two First Editions and a Second) of this major, 1,479-page work of Southern fiction, an important influence on the writing of William Faulkner, rarely found in collector's condition. Thick crown 8vo (202 x 132mm): [6],525,[1]; [6],571,[1]; [6],383,[3]pp. All uniformly bound in publisher's finely woven black cloth, spines and upper covers with pictorial paper title onlays, title pages with vignettes (repeating motif on dust jackets and paper onlays), printed in mustard yellow and black; original dust jackets illustrated by various artists, each priced $2.50. The Forge: Fine (book and jacket), tightly bound (likely unread) and clean throughout. The Store: Second Printing (issued in 1932, as was the first, with no printing statement on copyright page but the year 1932 in roman numerals on title page). Near Fine or better (slight fading to edges and spine, not affecting onlays, which remain fresh and bright); skillful restoration to jacket's spine panel's ends (not affecting lettering or design), lightly toned. Unfinished Cathedral: About Fine (dust-soiled top edge), tightly bound and clean throughout; brown craft paper tape preemptive reinforcement to jacket verso, spine and back panels dust-soiled but jacket presenting as Very Good or better. An impressive set. Johnson & Blanck, p. 485. Fine- / Near Fine. Item #BB1937

The Vaiden trilogy is Stribling's "most ambitious work and his most significant contribution to modern Southern letters," charting the seismic shifts in Southern society from the eve of the Civil War through Reconstruction and the boom times of the 1920s, as seen through the lives of three successive generations of the fictional Vaiden family, in Florence, Alabama. "Though not great literary art, Stribling's trilogy is, nevertheless, historically significant; for in The Forge, The Store, and Unfinished Cathedral, Stribling introduced a subject matter, themes, plot elements, and character types which parallel and at the same time anticipate those that William Faulkner, who owned copies of this trilogy, would treat in Absalom, Absalom! and in the Snopes trilogy." (Dictionary of Literary Biography: ) N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books in exceptional condition, with dust jackets carefully preserved in archival, removable polypropylene sleeves. All orders are packaged with care and posted promptly. Satisfaction guaranteed. (Fine Editions Ltd is a member of the Independent Online Booksellers Association, and we subscribe to its codes of ethics.).

Price: $1,324.00