Islandia. [With:] An Introduction to Islandia by Basil Davenport

Wright, Austin Tappan

Published by Farrar & Rinehart, New York, 1942

About this Item

First edition, with the publisher's insignia on the copyright page. [x], 1013, [1] pp. 2 vols. 8vo. First and only book by Austin Tappan Wright (1883-1931). Islandia is "a land describable as a Utopia, though it is in fact too densely imagined and free of cognitive shaping to fit happily into that prescriptive category … The heart of the book lies in its extremely elaborate picture of an invented alternative society and its inhabitants, who are drawn with haunting richness" (SFE). Islandia describes the journey and adventures of John Lang, a once very proper American college student. Austin Tappan Wright did not just write a novel of adventures in a strange land and civilization; Islandia is a country with a history, towns, cities and streets, its own geography, language, people (and demographics), politics, law and customs, even its virtues and faults. This copy is accompanied by the now very scarce prospectus, An Introduction to Islandia, by Basil Davenport, discussing Wright s creation of Islandia, "the imaginary country of a schoolboy, which was not abandoned as he grew up." The prospectus inludes history, maps, poetry, a bibliography, and demographic charts (such as Grazing Farms and Non-Farming Population). An absolutely fascinating book. [With:] "Austin Tappan Wright: A Centennial Celebration", edited by Fred Lerner, duplicated from Niekas 32 (pp. 35-42), collects a 1956 lecture by Lawrence Clark Powell, and contributions by others. Beige buckram, map endpapers. Very good copy without dust jacket. Quite scarce with Davenport's prospectus, which is bound in paper over boards (spine ends worn) First edition, with the publisher's insignia on the copyright page.

Seller Inventory # 353747

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Islandia. [With:] An Introduction to Islandia by Basil Davenport
• Publisher: Farrar & Rinehart, New York
• Publication Date: 1942
• Binding: [x], 1013, [1] pp. 2 vols. 8vo
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Seller catalogs:
  • Literature