Johnson, Virginia W. (1849-1916)

Genoa The Superb. The City of Columbus

Boston: Estes and Lauriat, 1892. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover.

White cloth over beveled boards; front cover stamped in gilt and blue, with a coat of arms stamped in gilt and red; spine stamped in gilt and blue; untrimmed; in red; Printed on laid-paper. Bindings are tight and square. Text clean, light even toning. Moderate shelf handling wear with off-setting on rear board. First blank page has a closed tear from poor opening of "closed" page. Top edge gilt worn. First Edition, First Printing. 8vo; 8.25 inches tall; 292 pages with index; illustrated with 19 red-lettered tissue-guarded plates from photographs. [3 p. 1., 288 p. front., 19 pl. 21 cm.]

Very Good / No Jacket. Item #011449

In 1875, the author and her mother and sister went abroad, and Johnson settled in Europe, spending most of her time in Florence. She continued to write adult novels and stories, which were published in America.

The Dictionary of American Biography notes that "[a]fter 1875, her work shows intense love for Italy, both mediaeval and modern," and incorporates a "knowledge of Italian history and literature" as well as of contemporary Italy.

Background Information:
Virginia Wales Johnson came from distinguished ancestry, in this case the Sewall family (descendants of Judge Samuel Sewall); she was also distantly related to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Price: $85.00