Theodore Dreiser by F. O. Matthiessen, Published by William Sloane Associates in The American Men of Letters Series, New York 1951, Later Unstated Printing. Hardcover Format. OP

F. O. Matthiessen (Francis Otto Matthiessen, 1901 - 1950)

Published by William Sloane Associates, 1951

About this Item

Here is "Theodore Dreiser" by F. O. Matthiessen, as published by William Sloane Associates in their "American Men of Letters Series" . The book was issued in 1951 in hardcover format, and has a worn dust-jacket still present and intact.

Theodore Dreiser, author of "Sister Carrie" and "An American Tragedy", is considered by many to be one of the greatest of American novelists. Yet his work is still considered to be controversial.
The following is excerpted from the book's dust-jacket write-up : "Mr. Matthiessen 's literary achievement lies in the naked simplicity with which he has condensed within a few hundred pages the main outline of Dreiser's life, a penetrating analysis of his major works, and a study of Dreiser's philosophy. No mean achievement, that! Matthiessen performed the additional service of helping rescue Dreiser from those who have sought to obscure the man's devotion to truth by casting over his remains the ghostly mantle of mysticism.

"What moved Dreiser", Matthiessen tells us, "was his deep love of humankind, his tender and almost painful respect for the hopes and strivings of all men, be they ordinary or exceptional. That for the major portion of his life Dreiser believed that frustration was the stone upon which all hopes were blasted is less important than his passionate belief that hope must not and would not be abandoned. Like Whitman, Dreiser sensed and respected the legitimacy of those aspirations which were typical, multitudinous, and only too often contradictory. Theodore Dreiser will not cease, because of Matthiessen's book, to be a controversial figure, but the nature and sources of his power will be understood as they have never been understood before."

"F. O. Matthiessen, critic and scholar, and Professor of American Literature at Harvard, died in the spring of 1950. This book, which he had contracted to write for the American Men of Letters Series, was found among his papers, finished to the point where it could be published, as it is now, without other changes than those necessary to prepare the manuscript for the printer."

SERIES : The American Men of Letters
TITLE : Theodore Dreiser [1871 - 1945]
AUTHOR : F. O. Matthiessen (Francis Otto Matthiessen, 1901 - 1950)
IMPRINT : William Sloane Associates
PLACE : New York
DATE : (1951)
EDITION : First year of Publication, unstated later printing.
STATUS : OP
PHYSICAL DETAILS : Contains the editor's note, Bibliographical Notes, and an Index; 267 pages; 5 1/4" x 8"; black paper-covered boards and spine, with gilt lettering stamped on spine; photo-pictorial dust-jacket. On the front a photograph of Dreiser sitting in a chair on a porch. On the rear panel are two complimentary assessments of the career of F. O. Matthiessen (by Janet Adam Smith, in "New Statesman and Nation" ; and Van Wyck Brooks)

CONDITION -- BOOK : VERY GOOD --- JACKET : GOOD ONLY -- This is a previously owned book , which remains clean and serviceable, with the following particulars noted : :
EXTERIOR -- Slight compression to spine extremities; a shallow crease displays at the bottom fore-edge of the front fee end-paper; else clean and attractive; text-block edges display slight toning, else are clean and free of marking.
BINDING -- Solid
INTERIOR -- End-papers are slightly toned, else clean and unmarked; the first two leaves, including title page are creased diagonally at the bottom fore-edge corner; a small tear exhibits at the center of the fore-edge of the title pages; else the interior is clean and free of marking, with no marginalia, no writing, and no signatures.
DUST-JACKET -- Jacket has borne the brunt of time's assault, being ragged on the top and bottom edges, with darkening to the reverse side; folds are abraded, and there is weathering (or darkening), smudging and specking along the edges on the rear panel; surface rub is moderate. Front flap is price clipped. The whole is protected from further wear by a clear mylar cover.

Seller Inventory # 2047

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Theodore Dreiser by F. O. Matthiessen, Published by William Sloane Associates in The American Men of Letters Series, New York 1951, Later Unstated Printing. Hardcover Format. OP
• Publisher: William Sloane Associates
• Publication Date: 1951
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fair
• Dimensions: 7W x 10H x 3D inches 7 inches width by 10 inches height by 3 inches depth
• Weight: 1.25 pounds
• Seller catalogs:
  • Biography & Autobiography
  • Literary Criticism & Biography
  • Theodore Dreiser
  • American Authors
  • F. O. Matthiessen