Romer, King of Norway and Other Dramas.
1885. Sacramento: Lewis and Johnston, 1885.
12mo, 245 pp. Original dark maroon pebbled cloth, with gilt lettering to upper board. Spine sunned. Review pasted to front pastedown. Inner hinge cracked and splitting between front free endpaper and front pastedown.
§ First edition. Contains four plays by Welcker: The Bitter End, Flavia, Dream of Realms Beyond Us, and Romer, King of Norway. “The prolific Sacramento novelist, dramatist, and versifier here collects four of his rather lurching blank-verse dramas; two of the plays collected here were also published separately (Flavia in 1885, Dream of Realms Beyond in 1903). Welcker is remembered today for the critical assessment in verse leveled by his envious contemporary, Ambrose Bierce: "The Swan of Avon died--the Swan / Of Sacramento'll soon be gone; / And when his death-song he shall coo, / Stand back, or it will kill you too."” (Garret Scott, who notes changes to the pricing note on the copyright page -- in this copy the prices have been erased). Item #6355
Price: $50.00