Come to the Cook-house Door!; A V. A. D. in Salonika
London: Herbert Joseph, (1932). First Edition. Hardcover. Duodecimo size, 185 pp., inscribed by Juliet de Key Whitsed. Very good / good. Item #18112101
"Come to the Cook-house Door!" comprises the autobiography of Juliet de Key Whitsed, who served as a V. A. D. (Voluntary Aid Detachment) during World War I, in Salonika (present-day Thessaloniki in Greece); told with charm and wit, the story elucidates the hardships of the war from a civilian's perspective, in the form of letters and diary entries. This volume is the first edition, and is inscribed by the author to Henry W. Shoemaker (1880-1958), a noted American folklorist and conservationist who worked in European embassies as a diplomat; his bookplate is also tipped in on the front paste-down endpaper.
___DESCRIPTION: Full white cloth, black lettering and a line drawing of a trumpet on the front board, black lettering on the spine, title page with same line drawing of a trumpet; duodecimo size (7.5" by 5.25"), pagination: [1-6] 7 [8-10] 11-185, inscribed by Juliet de Key Whitsed "Colonel Henry W Shoemaker / With all good wishes / from Juliet de Key Whitsed / Johannesburg. S. Africa. / July 1938." on the verso of the front free endpaper. Tasteful prior owner bookplate on the front paste-down endpaper belonging to Henry W. Shoemaker, the recipient of the inscription. In a red paper dust jacket with black lettering and silhouette of a bugle-player on the front panel, black lettering and ruled borders with original price of "3/6" on the spine, and a description of the book on the front flap.
___CONDITION: Volume is very good, with clean boards, corners without rubbing, a strong, square text block with solid hinges, and the interior is clean and bright; some sunning to the spine, abraded area on the spine of about one inch, corners gently bumped, front board is slightly cocked, prior owner markings in pencil in the gutter of the Foreword, reading "gift of Mrs. H. A. Shoemaker 10/9/63", and there is a newspaper clipping glued to the rear paste-down endpaper, regarding the death of General Paul Henrys (1862-1943), commander of the French army on the Salonika front during the First World War, where this book takes place. The dust jacket is good only, unclipped with the original price on the spine, all pieces present but front panel is detached from the spine, clean overall with minor soiling including a small area with white on the front panel, slight edge wear to the top edge, chipping to the head of the spine (but does not obscure text), and there is a loss of about three inches to the bottom of the spine (please see pictures and request more if needed).
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Price: $350.00