RIDERS OF THE STARS: A Book of Western Verse. handwritten presentation inscription by Robert F. McGraw ("R.F."), the very individual to whom Henry Herbert Knibbs dedicated this collection.
New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1916.
First Edition. Hardcover. First Edition. Original publisher's blue cloth, decoratively stamped in silver, white, black, and brown, featuring a cowboy on horseback to the front cover and silver lettering with decoration to the spine. The silver stamping remains bright and sharply defined against the black accents, creating a striking example of early twentieth-century Western book design.
A highly desirable association copy, featuring a handwritten presentation inscription by Robert F. McGraw ("R.F."), the individual to whom Henry Herbert Knibbs dedicated this collection.
The front free endpaper bears McGraw's presentation inscription, dated May 1917:
"To my friend Carroll. Soul of the true adventurer singing his heart's desire. RF May 1917."
The inscription is particularly significant as McGraw quotes the central lines from the printed dedication poem that Knibbs wrote in his honour on page ix of this volume:
"Rifle and rope and spur
Trail and the wayside fire
Soul of the true adventurer
Singing his heart's desire."
By echoing Knibbs' own words, McGraw transforms this from a conventional presentation inscription into a remarkable literary association. His quotation of the dedication establishes a direct connection between the author, the dedicatee, and the recipient of the book. Copies preserving this unique relationship are exceptionally scarce.
The inscription is written in a clear, legible contemporary hand, with the ink remaining dark and well preserved.
A very good example internally. Pages are clean, tight, and securely bound, with light age toning to the margins as expected. Hinges are sound with no structural splitting. The blue cloth binding remains attractive, with only minor shelf wear and light rubbing consistent with its age. The spine is intact with minimal bumping to the head and tail, and the silver lettering and cowboy vignette remain exceptionally bright.
An outstanding association copy of one of Henry Herbert Knibbs' finest collections of Western verse, combining a handsome first-edition binding with a rare and meaningful inscription by Robert F. McGraw, the dedicatee commemorated in the volume's opening poem.
Item #34382 Price: US$725.00