Ethan Frome
Edith Wharton
New York, 1911
 
First edition, first state("wearily" unbroken on p. 135) of Wharton's highly lauded tragic novel of secret love set against a bleak New England winter. One of the first 2500 copies(top edge gilt) from an overall edition of 6000.
 
Publisher's red cloth in Fine condition with the crazy rare dust jacket – scattered chipping with a chunk loss at the upper corner of the rear cover, toned, else Very Good. An unrepaired, super-satisfying rarity housed in a custom case. No other unrepaired jackets appear in the sales records since the Truman presidency.
 
The legendary Wharton was the first woman to win a Pulitzer Prize for fiction. She would utilize her great literary talents to attack the character failings of the New York aristocracy she was a part of. Ethan Frome is a departure from that upper crust setting and was written during an emotionally turbulent time for her – living in a crumbling marriage with a flagrantly unfaithful husband as she sought solace in her own intense affair. Her real life grief and emotional distress would be channeled into this masterpiece, as great artists do with their pain. Finally in 1913, she was able to break free via divorce.
 
Ref:
 
Edith Wharton and Ethan Frome, Orlene Murad