Zingara Fortune Teller. A Complete Treatise on the Art of Predicting Future Events
Philadelphia: David McKay, Publisher 1901. [6], ii, [9]-183, [1], [6-ads] ages. 8vo. Publisher's forest green cloth with red and white stamped titles. Spine titled in red. Includes a partial dust jacket, the first we've seen on this title (chipped, dampstained, etc). Bookstore ticket of Goodman's of Manchester, NH on front pastedown. Dampstaining to the boards (visible in raking light) on the lower edges. Very Good / Poor. Cloth. [29033]
Copyrighted 1901 by Smith & Street. Part of their Diamond Hand Book series (dime novels in wrappers sold for 10-15 cents) which according to the Edward T. LeBlanc Dime Novel Bibliography were first issued in 1901 and kept in stock and advertised until at least 1917. An advertisement in the Street and Smith 1911 dime novel "The Riddle and the Ring" offers this title but with the author name "Gypsy" instead of "Gipsy" as in this example.
David McKay did a variety of books in the 1901-1902 time period in this same green binding. From what we can tell, this is probably the first hardcover edition. We noted an auction site recorded another McKay copy in gray boards with black land red lettering.
Difficult to find in dust jacket in any condition. Fortune telling books were read heavily and for long periods of time. They are still collected today.
Price: $125.00