Dinsmore Ely: One Who Served
Chicago: A.C. McClurg, 1919. Cloth. Uncommon 1919 collection of letters and poems of Second Lieutenant Dinsmore Ely, American war hero shot down over France while serving with the Lafayette Flying Corps (specifically the Lafayette Escadrille). Ely was bestowed the honor of being buried in Versailles. THIS COPY, WHICH INCLUDES ITS VERY SCARCE DUSTJACKET, IS WARMLY INSCRIBED BY JAMES OWEN ELY (DINSMORE ELY'S FATHER), WHO WROTE THE BOOK'S PRELUDE. The book is solid and VG+ in its brown cloth, with crisp, unflecked gilt-titling along the front panel and spine. Glued-on postcard showing a photo of Dinsmore Ely's gravesite at Versailles on the front pastedown, pasted-on 1919 newspaper article about Dinsmore Ely at the 2nd blank endpaper, another related newspaper article glued-on at the rear pastedown. Light offsetting as well along several of the preliminaries but the book remains tight and very clean. And in a crisp, VG+ dustjacket, with just a touch of chipping along the front panel's top-edge. 12mo, a wonderful --and unusual-- piece of early 20th century Americana. Very Good / Very Good. Item #14829
Price: $1,000.00