The Lord's Oysters
New York: Atlantic, Little Brown, 1957. 1st Edition. 8vo. Very Good / Very Good. Item #17756
A beautiful copy of the Eastern Shore of Maryland's finest example of the 'Great American Novel', signed by Byron on the front endpaper.
A cross between 'Huckleberry Finn' and 'To Kill a Mockingbird', Byron's autobiographical masterpiece details life as a young boy growing up on the Eastern Shore just after the turn of the last century.
Byron (1903-1991) was known as 'The Voice of the Chesapeake' and 'The Chesapeake Thoreau' and this quintessentially American novel tells the story of a Maryland which no longer exists today, a story of a Chesapeake Bay which no longer exists - teeming with wildlife and the countless rough and tumble watermen who harvested its bounty.
Byron won a national literary contest sponsored by 'Atlantic, Little Brown' and his prize was having his novel published. Originally written as a stand-alone work, Byron expanded on his story later in life and 'The Lord's Oysters' eventually became the first book of a trio. He had previously published three works of poetry in the 1940s which, like 1st Editions of 'The Lord's Oysters', are scarce in commerce.
330pp. Half red cloth over beige paper-covered boards. Tight binding. Spine with a very slight lean. Mild edge wear to both the binding and the jacket, which presents handsomely in archival mylar.
An uncommonly nice copy with Byron's signature affixed inside. An essential for any quality Maryland collection.
Pritchett & Woodcock, 1068.
Sold