The Cortenay Treasure
Cambridge, Mass. Houghton Mifflin, 1936. Hardcover. [4], 296 p.; 20 cm. Blue-green cloth over spine and boards, with black spine and cover titles. Lacking dust jacket. Former owner wrote date of purchase (9/18/82) and price on the front fixed endpaper. First American Edition. Published at the same time in England by John Murray under the title Bubble Reputation. The author, Percival Christopher Wren (1875-1941), joined the Indian educational service in 1903; from Dec. 1914 to Oct. 1915 he served in the Poona Volunteer Rifles as a Captain (although from Feb. to Oct. 1915 he was on sick leave). He is said to have joined the French Foreign Legion at the age of 42 for a five-year tour, but more likely he met numerous legionnaires while he traveled in Algeria and Morocco and also did extensive research on the Legion. On his return to England he concentrated on writing, producing more than 40 books, of which the best known is Beau Geste, immortalized by the 1939 Paramount film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Gary Cooper, Ray Milland, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy, Susan Hayward, J. Carrol Naish, Albert Dekker, and Broderick Crawford. In Very Good- Condition: cover is lightly soiled; spine is significantly sunned; ends of spine and corners are rubbed; upper corner of one leaf creased; small inscription on front fixed endpaper; otherwise, pages are clean and tight. Very Good -. Item #002906
Price: $45.00