Roberts, Morley. The Western Avernus. Or Toil and Travel in Further North America. First Edition. London, Smith, Elder, & Co., 1887. 20 x 13 cm, 307 pages plus four pages publishers list. With a folding map of the author’s route through North America. Original dark green cloth with gilt title on spine. Hard cover. Dark brown end papers. All edges deckle. Very good condition. Slightly slanted. Extremities slightly rubbed and bumped. Head and tail of spine a little frayed. Two closed tears in map. Edges dust dulled. Internally bright and clean. Insribed on half title by the author: To Edward Downey with kind regards from Morley Roberts 4.10.9? Prosit!’ From the library of Edmund Downey, Publisher (Downey & Co.).

The author Morley Roberts (1857 – 1942) was an English novelist and short story writer, best known for ‘The Private Life of Henry Maitland’. Roberts was born in London, the son of a superintending inspector of income tax. Near the end of 1876 Roberts took a steerage passage to Australia and landed at Melbourne in January 1877. The next three years were spent in obtaining colonial experience, mostly on sheep stations in New South Wales, and Roberts then returned to London. For a time, he worked in the war office and other government departments, but again went on his travels and had varied occupations in the United States and Canada between 1884 and 1886. Roberts used his experiences freely in his books, the first being ‘The Western Avernus’ (1887). Roberts began his long series of novels and short stories in 1890. He died in London aged 84 in 1942.
The writer and publisher Edmund Downey was born in Waterford in 1856. After working as an editor in the London based ‘Tinsley’s Magazine’ he was involved in various London publishing companies in the late 20th century (Downey & Co.). In 1906 he became the proprietor and editor of the Waterford News. Downey would also write around twenty books which included the Story of Waterford and a two-volume biography of Charles Lever. Some of his books were published under the pseudonyms ‘Dan Banim’ and F.M.Allan. Downey died in 1937.

• Keywords: Americas · Classical & Old Literature · History · Travel & Exploration · World Travel
• Language: English
• Signed/inscribed
• First edition
• Inventory Number: 100700AB

Our price: EUR 595,--