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[v], 338, [6] pages ; 19 cm ; LC: PS3319.W7; Dewey: 813.52 ; OCLC: 7840787 ; red cloth with beige lettering and designs with black edging ; with the color illustrated dustjacket in fair condition ; "This is said to be the strangest story ever written. It is published anonymously, but the author is reputed to be a well-known actress. It is the story of a woman written by herself and addressed to the man she loves--a man whose name is not given & who does not appear in the story until the very end. That the story is sordid and that the life that it portrays is stained by many sins of commission and omission, is entirely natural and logical."-dustjacket ; Alice Muriel Livingston Williamson later admitted to the authorship of this book in her work "The Inky Way", published by Chapman and Hall in 1931: "They were all talking of 'He Who Passed" (or 'To M L G'), as wondering who on earth the mysterious writer was. Suddenly Frank Danby turned to me and blurted out: 'I believe you wrote that book!" I wasn't sure whether he really did believe it or [if another] member of the party again suspected that I was the 'MLG' woman. Since then I have written two other books anonymously, both of which have made a big success. But they are still secrets, anyhow for this chapter! These publishers didn't know about 'He Who Passed, alias 'To MLG.' And my two other anonymous books hadn't yet been written." ; "It is one of the strangest books ever written and bears the mark of truth throughout, and convincing, too. The description of the father's death is dramatic and shows more than any other one place in the book the marked literary ability possessed by the author. he experience she has with the wardrobe mistress is of kindness and neglect at once, but it is explained when we learn she is a victim of the morphine habit. She has a sister who is & beauty doctor, and one day this woman comes and takes the poor little waif home with her. Then begins a life of ease and luxury. Beauty surrounds her on all sides and the woman who has taken the fancy to her is kindness itself. There is no love between them, however, and at last when the woman Is to marry she places the child in the hands of a dramatic agent, Mrs. F , and so detailed is the description of this person, her home, and her methods, that one is forced to believe it is accurate. This portion of the book will receive much criticism, especially from members of the theatrical profession, for it is a dreadful picture which is presented to us. [A]s she grew up and slowly acquired education, so surely and slowly the moral sense and her conscience were created; it is not that they woke up, for they had never been. She was just a little pagan and at no time in her life did any one take the least interest in her or tell her anything; like Topsy, she 'just growed,' and the wonderful thing is to see the remarkable woman developed from such chaos. It is an unusual record and one of the great books of the year."-- San Francisco Call, 21 April 1912 ; the book was a rave success in the Spring of 1912, and stirred up a great deal of controversy as to who the principal characters of the book might be, and the "sordid" happenings added a titillating spice to the whole thing ; An extremely interesting ownership name on front endpaper appears as "Mabel L. G. Martin" (!). Is THIS person the real subject of the book, whose initials M. L. G. match that of the love-interest? If so, this is quite a find! Is the lover of the authoress in reality a woman? Is this actually an early, disguised lesbian novel? There are several scenes involving women as very intimate partners. Complicating the matter, Alice Livingston was married to Charles Norris Williamson, the author, with whom she collaborated on several other books. Was this a marriage of convenience? We may never know the answers! ; very scarce in the original dustjacket ; a water-ring stain on front cover ; foxing ; else VG/FAIR. Seller Inventory # 007047
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Bibliographic Details
Title: To M.L.G., or, He who passed.
Publisher: New York : A.L. Burt Company, February, 1912
Publication Date: 1912
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Dust Jacket Condition: Fair
Book Type: Book
