Seasoned Timber, retailer by Dorothy Canfield. Illustrated. Boxed. 1st Edition, 1st printing.

Dorothy Canfield Fisher (February 17, 1879 – November 9, 1958) was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early decades of the twentieth century. She strongly supported women's rights, racial equality, and lifelong education. Eleanor Roosevelt named her one of the ten most influential women in the United States. She founded the Braille Press in 1917, for French soldiers who had been blinded during World War I. In addition to bringing the Montessori method of child-rearing to the U.S., she presided over the country's first adult education program and shaped literary tastes by serving as a member of the Book of the Month Club selection committee from 1925 to 1951.
'
Born Dorothea Frances Canfield, in Vermont, she was named after a character in the novel 'Middlemarch'. She received a bachelor's degree from Ohio State University in 1899 and a PhD from Columbia University in 1904. She wrote her first book, 'Gunhild' in 1907 (Henry Holt). Her most well-known book for children, 'Understood Betsy', is still in print, and was originally published by Henry Holt in 1917. During her day, she was one of America's most popular novelists. Her book, 'The Brimming Cup', was the number two bestseller in 1921, following Sinclair Lewis' retailer 'Main Street'.

She was the first woman to receive an honorary degree from Dartmouth College, and received others from the University of Nebraska, Middlebury College, Swarthmore College, Smith College, Williams College, Ohio State University, and the University of Vermont. She spoke five languages fluently, and in addition to writing novels, short stories, memoirs, and educational works, she wrote extensively as a literary critic and translator. In all, she wrote 22 novels and 18 works of non-fiction. [For tax purposes, her novels were written as "Canfield," her non-fiction as "Fisher".]

She passed away at age 79, in Arlington, Vermont.

***

'Seasoned Timber' was the author's final novel.

***

Harcourt, Brace & Co., NY, 1939.

1st Edition, 1st printing.

Boxed Volume.

Illustrated w/ full-page colored frontis.

Near Fine copy.


Sand buckram cloth, reddish-tan top-edge, deckled pages, green letters against a tan rectangular paste-down. Both end-papers have slightly darkened w/ age. Previous seller's price, in light pencil, top of front free fly - no other markings. Crisp white pages throughout - appears to be un-read. Spine label is pristine. Book is square & true, tightly bound; both hinges are sound. The original tan-colored box is slightly crimped at a couple of corners, with a little wear along the bottom edge in places, and at the open corners. Box printing has a hint of rubbing, but is still completely intact & legible - still solid & secure; doing an excellent job of protecting the book. 485 pages.