COLONEL CARTER'S CHRISTMAS

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1903. First Edition. . Hardcover. About Very Good. Francis Hopkinson Smith was an accomplished artist and successful engineer before he turned to writing fiction in his 50's. Colonel George Fairfax Carter, an ex-officer of the Confederate Army, a gentleman of the old South, left in poverty at the end of the war, was the first of Smith's fictional heroes and one of the most popular. "Col. Carter of Cartersville," issued in 1891, was a bestseller and later adapted for the stage. "Colonel Carter's Christmas" was published in 1903 and recounts a period in the Colonel's life when he living in a small house in New York trying to recoup the family fortune. Over the Christmas holidays, the Colonel helps a friend escape from a financial trap set by an unscrupulous banker. First edition, first printing. About 5 1/4 x 7 1/2 inches, 159 pages in light green, cloth-covered boards with front cover showing holiday-type decorations including steaming punch bowl and candles in red, white and gold with white lettering. Gold lettering on spine with red and gold decoration. Eight illustrations by F.C. Yohn, including frontispiece with intact protective tissue. Top edge of text is gilded. Boards and text show a slight spine lean, lightly bumped corners and moderate surface wear with small areas of the white ink in the lettering and decoration worn away. Neat, brief Christmas inscription to previous owner on fep. Sorry, no dustjacket. An entertaining Christmas story even if 115 years old.