The Garden of Allah. New York: Frederick A. Stokes, (1905).
Probable First American Edition, with "This edition published in January, 1905" statement at copyright page. The book was first published in England in 1904 and different American printings, including the 1907 illustrated Stokes edition and the contemporary Grosset and Dunlap photoplay edition have been erroneously designated as the first American printing by previous cataloguers. This copy, with a January 1905 printing statement seems the most probable to hold the true mantle of 'First American Edition'. This copy remarkable for retaining the original printed publisher's dustjacket, with press copy by such English journals as the Daily Mirror and Punch at front panel. Rear panel advertised Hichen's three previous works, The Woman with the Fan, Felix, and Tongues of Conscience. When first published, this exciting tale of adventure in which a young English woman travels alone in the Sahara Desert was regarded as a titillating piece of literature. The Garden of Allah was the basis for three films. The first two were silent films, a 1916 production and the 1927 MGM production directed by Rex Ingram. The third was an Academy Award winner produced by David O. Selznick in 1936 and starring Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, and Basil Rathbone. Very Good, some dampstaining to lower edge of covers, in dustjacket with centimeter deep chipping at lower spine end, closed tears at lower flap edges, chipping along top edge.
Price: $1,750.00