Description: Amazing find, SIGNED by Eugene Debs with historically important information. Admirers of Debs really must read about what we have here. It is NOT simply one of the 500 limited edition issues signed by Debs. This is far rarer. Book is titled DEBS and the Poets, edited by Ruth Le Prade and published and probably compiled by Upton Sinclair (a very popular socialist from the time). Dated 1920, in support of Debs (and other US political prisoners) while he was in prison for opposing World War I. This same year, while imprisoned, Debs ran for president and received almost a million votes. The basic book is comprised of tributes to Debs from such notables as James Whitcomb Riley, HG Wells, Max Eastman, Eugene Field, Carl Sandburg, John Cowper Powys and many others. George Bernard Shaw offered: “Clearly the White House is the only safe place for an honest man like Debs.” Unsigned copies are hard to find but usually available. But there was also a limited edition run SIGNED by Debs on a pasted slip inside the back cover. While extremely rare, over the 20 years we have collected signed books, we have owned 5 of those editions. This one we are now offering is even rarer! Debs signed this copy on the first blank page (endpaper) with a note – not as one of the limited editions. It is made out to 2 people and their names are hard to read. They appear to have the same last name, so probably married. Long before gay marriage so one is a man and the other a woman. The man’s name back then was usually put first. So, while the name might look like a woman’s name, I think it is a man’s. And I think that name is Linn Gale. There is little information about Linn Gale online. But he, like Debs, was a socialist opposed to WW1 who fled to Mexico to avoid arrest. At some point he was arrested and, looking for leniency, he turned against socialism and even offered to spy on other socialists/communists. I’m not sure of when this book was signed by Debs (again, the copyright is 1920). It certainly could have been after Gale was arrested and turned against his former comrades. Is it be possible that he and Debs met in prison while Gale was spying on Debs? Perhaps trying to catch Debs promoting illegal activities? This book would be of great value to an author writing a biography of Debs or someone engaged in research about World War 1 era American socialists or, simply, admirers of Debs. This will have to ship with signature confirmation.
Price: 2550 USD
Location: Rancho Cucamonga, California
End Time: 2024-08-27T01:56:29.000Z
Shipping Cost: 0 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Seller
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money back or replacement (buyer's choice)
Binding: Hardcover
Place of Publication: unknown
Modification Description: SIGNED by Debs
Publisher: Upton Sinclair
Modified Item: Yes
Subject: Literature & Fiction
Year Printed: 1920
Original/Facsimile: Original
Language: English
Special Attributes: Signed
Region: North America
Author: James Whitcomb Riley, HG Wells, Max Eastman, Eugene Field +
Topic: Political
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States