NOW OR NEVER; OR THE ADVENTURES OF BOBBY BRIGHT. A Story for Young Folks

Boston: Lee and Shepard, 1863. An early printing. With engraved frontispiece and pictorially decorated half-title. Small 8vo, publisher's original textured brown cloth, the boards finely blocked in blind with an ornate frame around a floral inspired centerpiece, the spine lettered and pictorially decorated in gilt. 263, [1 ads] pp. An unusually fresh and clean copy, the text entirely free of any foxing, toning, or stains, the hinges strong and tight, the text-block sturdy, the cloth with only very mild wear at the tips and a little dulling to the gilt. A rare find in such nice condition. A UNUSUALLY NICE COPY OF THIS POPULAR STORY, one of the many books for boys written by William Taylor Adams under the Oliver Optic pseudonym. Adams wrote well over 100 books under various other pseudonyms, and two under his real name, while also serving as a member of the Harris school board for the town of Dorchester, Massachusetts, and later for the Dwight, Boylston, and Bowditch schools in the city of Boston. He also served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, for the 5th Norfolk District.
Adams had a running rivalry with Louisa May Alcott, who disapproved of his use of slang and of casting his stories with characters such as bootblacks and newsboys; and for setting stories in places such as police stations and saloons. Adams responded in kind, pointing out Alcott's own use of slang and her improbable plot twists.