Sister Carrie by Dreiser, Theodore - 1900

New York: Doubleday, Page & Co., 1900 First edition, first printing. Published in a small print run of 1,008 copies, approximately half of which were remaindered. Original publisher's red buckram cloth, lettered and ruled in black. A very good or better copy with some light wear and rubbing to the extremities, a few small and faint stains to the front cover, spine ends a touch frayed, former owner's bookplate to front pastedown, former owner's signature to front endpaper, rear hinge repaired, otherwise a bright and attractive copy. A much nicer copy than usual. Sister Carrie tells the story Caroline Meeber, a young woman from Wisconsin who dreams of living a glamorous life in the city. After she moves to Chicago, Carrie becomes the mistress of two wealthy businessmen, through whom she is able to transform herself into a stylish urban woman. After moving to New York City, Carrie is able to fulfil her dreams of becoming a famous actress, but only to realize that material wealth does not elicit true happiness. Although today considered one of Dreier's best novels, Sister Carrie was initially met with mixed critical reviews and was not commercially successful. While the protagonist's lack of Victorian moral values all but ensured that there would be some negative criticism, much of Sister Carrie's initial lack of success was due to the publisher's distaste for the novel; after Dreiser made publication arrangements with Walter Page, his partner Frank Doubleday attempted to cancel the publication, but, being legally prevented from doing so, appeased himself by refusing to market the text properly.. First Edition. Hard Cover. Very Good.