[solid copy, minimal shelfwear, minor age-toning to page edges; jacket has a handful of tiny closed edge-tears, minor nicks at spine extremities, a couple of faint scrape lines on front panel]. "This is the story of Jeffrey Dwyer, a Yale man and a poet, sensitive and ardent beneath the layers of sophistication; of Inez Martin, a vivid young beauty taking her laughing way through a crowd of adorers of whom Jeffrey was the most importunate; and of little Joan Converse who gave her heart, unasked, to this same Jeffrey and watched with hot eyes and a bitter spirit as he humbled his proud head once and again before the careless mockery of the girl he loved." Oh, brother. The author's first book -- at age 23, he legitimized the publisher's claim that this was "a story of the young generation written by one of them" -- it was picked up by the movies for a reported $25,000, apparently a record at the time. The silent film version (now lost) was directed by King Vidor in 1924, with John Gilbert, Aileen Pringle and Eleanor Boardman (subsequently Mrs. Vidor) playing Jeffrey, Inez and Joan, respectively. Hume turned out a half-dozen or so more novels in the 1920s and early 1930s, but found his true calling as a screen (and later TV) writer, whose credits included several Tarzan movies and (in what seems to me like a weirdly ironic twist) the 1949 adaptation of Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby." Need I add that Hume was a Yale man and a poet, himself? (Although it's not known whether he was sensitive and ardent beneath layers of sophistication, it was noted in his NYTimes obituary that "he wore round eyeglasses, a mustache and bow ties," so draw your own conclusions.) NOISBN. Seller Inventory # 19490

Contact seller

Report this item

Bibliographic Details

Title: Wife of the Centaur

Publisher: George H. Doran Company (c.1923), New York

Publication Date: 1923

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Near Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good dj

Edition: 2nd printing

Store Description

Welcome to ReadInk (pronounced like "Dead Ink"), now in its 27th year of putting interesting books into the hands of interested people. Our watchwords here are: * Availability. Every book listed for sale is in my possession and available for purchase; every image posted is a picture of the actual book on offer. * Service. Although I occasionally adopt the so-called "royal We," in fact ReadInk is just Me -- I handle everything from one end of the pipeline to the other: buying, cataloging, customer service, shipping, you name it. Nothing automated here -- just prompt, personal attention to every order. * Accurate Description. I use standard book-grading terminology -- Good, Very Good, Fine (with various +/- gradations as appropriate) -- and try to avoid both excessive jargon and obsessive amounts of detail. "Fine" is my highest grade, and a book has to be darn near perfect to earn it; even the smallest flaw or blemish will knock the grade down to "Near Fine.? I strive to present a faithful impression of a book?s condition and appearance; significant flaws such as remainder marks, previous owner's names, tears in the dust jacket, etc. are always noted, or if too numerous are reasonably summarized. * Information. Whenever practical, I try to include some information about a book's content in my listing, even if only a carefully chosen quotation from the dust jacket copy. This may sound like a small thing, but take a look sometime and you'll see how amazingly few sellers bother with this. On the occasions I let this slide, it's generally because the book is a common one, or because the title itself is sufficiently descriptive. * Care for the Book. I package all books with great care, to ensure they will withstand the rigors of the U.S. Postal System, and will reach their new owners in the same condition as advertised. My specific packaging techniques vary according to the needs of the book itself, but either a sturdy box or an unbendable package is always involved. (No bubble envelopes, ever, unless the contents are thoroughly protected within.) That?s all there is to ReadInk: just a guy who has loved books all my life (perhaps to excess) and entered the trade in my "middle years" to see what I could make of it. And I'm still finding out. My inventory appears here on AbeBooks and on my own website ? www.readinkbooks.com. Come on in! Howard Prouty, prop.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Association Member

Members of these associations are committed to maintaining the highest standards. They vouch for the authenticity of all items offered for sale. They provide expert and detailed descriptions, disclose all significant defects and/or restorations, provide clear and accurate pricing, and operate with fairness and honesty during the purchase experience.

Seller's business information

ReadInk, ABAA/IOBA
CA, U.S.A.

Terms of Sale:

All orders will be processed promptly and shipped within 48 hours, barring unforeseen circumstances. We grade our books conservatively (Fine being our highest grade, used only for books with no discernible flaws) and package them liberally: most hardcover books are sent in boxes, securely wrapped and cushioned, and with the dust jacket (if present) protected by a new mylar cover. We provide a concise, accurate description of the condition of every book (and a scanned image of the actual book on ...

More Information

Shipping Terms:

We offer free Media Mail shipping for all domestic (U.S.) orders, and endeavor to keep our Priority Mail rates as reasonable as possible. International shipping in most instances will be via USPS First Class International mail, at the posted rates. Only on rare occasions do we request additional shipping charges, when warranted by the weight or value of the book. Our first priority always is TOP-QUALITY PACKAGING, for MAXIMUM PROTECTION of your book, and we will never compromise on this point.

Payment Methods
accepted by seller

Check Money Order

Add to Wants