Nick of the Woods; or Telie, the Renegade's Daughter; an old melodrama in three acts with music

New York: Samuel French. Very Good+. (c.1940). Unstated edition. Softcover. [nice clean copy, a bit of fading/tanning to spine, edges of covers and edges of text block]. (stage diagram) Described in an introductory note as "a real old-fashioned melodrama originally produced at the Bowery Theatre, New York, in 1839," it was claimed to have been "only recently discovered in the files of Samuel French." Its characters include "the most hissable villain, the most beautiful but helpless heroine, the most stalwart hero, [and] the most self-sacrificing Indian maiden, ever combined into one play." The first six characters in the cast list are Bloody Nathan, Nick of the Woods, The Jibbenainosay, Spirit of the Waters, The Avenger, and Reginald Ashburn -- all specified "to be played by the same person." The aforementioned most hissable villain is named Richard Braxley, but if in your head you're thinking "Snidely Whiplash," you've got the idea. A "Historical Note" following the text gives some background on the original play, and there are some other amusing features here as well -- including a six-page section entitled "Notes on Emotions," reprinted from an 1859 book, advising thespians on techniques for expressing Love, Grief, Fear, Pity, Shame, Despair, etc. .