WILSHIRE, Gaylord (1861-1927)

[Socialism] [Parable] Hop Lee and the Pelican [Two Editions]

New York / Newark, N.J. Wilshire Book Company / Clarion Publishing Co., n.d. [c. 1903]. Illustrated Wrappers. Two copies (First Separate Editions and apparently earliest iterations) of this parable, in which a Chinese fisherman discovers that he can out source the labor of fishing. Description of each copy follows. Wilshire edition, published as Wilshire Leaflet No. 5: Slim foolscap 8vo (151 x 81mm): 12pp, illustrated throughout. Illustrated staple-bound paper self-wrappers. Lightly dust-soiled, ownership name rubber-stamped to upper cover, else about Near Fine. Clarion edition: Slim crown 8vo (184 x 127mm): 8pp., illustrated throughout. Text concludes with price list of Clarion Publishing Co. pamphlets, "What Socialists Stand For" (p. 7), and cartoon strip titled "Why the Capitalist Opposes Socialism and Why You Need It" on p. [8]. Illustrated staple-bound paper self-wrappers. Lightly dust-soiled, typescript ownership name and "335" rubber-stamped to upper cover, else Very Good or better. Very Good +. Item #BB2394

Appeared originally in the May [1902?] issue of Wilshire's magazine. By placing rings around the necks of pelicans and tightening the rings so the birds cannot swallow their catch, Hop Lee quickly grows rich from the labor of others: he keeps the fish the pelicans catch, and feeds the birds the unsaleable tails. The story concludes with Lee traveling the world, including a stop in New York City where he meets Pierpont Morgan: "It is related on good authority that he was highly amused at the striking resemblance between that gentleman's ideas and his own, for he saw immediately that the American workingman has put a ring about his throat." Similar moral tales later appeared in socialist and labor literature, although historian Archie Green notes that this may be the first of its kind (see Green, "Calf's Head & Union Tale: Labor Yarns at Work and Play," pp. 59-62). Gaylord Wilshire, who gave his name to Los Angeles's famous Wilshire Boulevard, was an unlikely hybrid of millionaire real estate developer and card-carrying Socialists. Publication dates based on printed advertisements for each edition. N. B. With few exceptions (always identified), we only stock books and ephemera in exceptional condition, carefully preserved in archival, removable mylar 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: $349.00