The Awakening by CHOPIN, KATE - 1899

Chicago and New York: Herbert S. Stone and Co, 1899. First edition. Original binding. Very Good. RARE FIRST EDITION OF CHOPIN'S GROUNDBREAKING NOVEL; A FOUNDATIONAL FEMINIST WORK. "No other American book was so maligned, neglected for so long, and then embraced so quickly and with such enthusiasm as Kate Chopin's 1899 novel The Awakening. And none has been so thoroughly redeemed as The Awakening. Thought vulgar, morbid, and disturbing in Chopin's time, it has for the past quarter of a century been seen as sensitive, passionate, and inspiring. Forgotten for two generations, it is today known by countless people in dozens of countries, and Kate Chopin has become among the most widely read of classic American authors" (Bernard Koloski, Awakenings).

Chopin's "works are widely taught at universities and have been the subject of considerable critical attention. The Awakening has been translated into several languages. Chopin is now seen as a pioneer of both American realism and feminist consciousness. To a degree that was ahead of her time, she rejected both conservative and liberal didacticism and discarded traditional assumptions in an attempt to depict honestly and emphatically the inner life of women" (American National Biography Online).

CHOPIN, KATE. The Awakening.Chicago and New York: Herbert S. Stone and Co, 1899. Octavo, original pictorial green cloth stamped in red and green; custom silk box. A hint of toning to spine; a handful of leaves with light dampstaining at top corner, not affecting text. An outstanding copy-the finest we have seen-of an extremely difficult book to find in collectible condition.