[Signed] The Virgin of Waikiki A Torrid Tragedy of the Tropics Blanding, Don [Very Good] [Hardcover]

Description

Blanding was closely asociated with Hawaii, though he grew up in Oklahoma and later lived in both Florida and California. His poetry writing career began in the early twenties, writing daily poems for an adveetiser in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. His very successful Vagabond's House came out in 1928 and went through nearly fifty printing by 1948. This is a rather different venture a very funny little account of Virgin Annie, whose torrid affair with a sailor kills her, but she dies with a beatiific smile! Althugh in the introduction to the book Blanding says there are earlier privately printed editions, this is actually the first edition, published in 1933. The strange thing about this copy are the notes ""for the edification of rustics by C. R. Mason, Jr."" Mr.Mason explias such things as Waikiki is ""a beach"", GOB is ""colloquial for sailor,"" and ""oke"" is whiskey. these notes are in pencil. The book was published with an empty envelope pasted on the rrep, with the inscritpyio: For sundry reasons the astonishing consummation of the balad must be with held, temporarily only-we hope- fromt he further enjoyment of the reader. Mr. Mason has placed in this envelope, which is loose, a letter with a drawing of himelf(?) He seems to be in the military, has been in the hospital and found this book in a bookshop in Saigon and is sending it to the recipient of the letter. It is signed Cecil R. Mason , Jr. Interesting! Conditon is VG with a VG- DJ. ; B&W Drawings; 16mo 6"" - 7"" tall; not paginated pages