IN A GERMAN PENSION

1926. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1926. Original green-blue cloth with spine label, with dust jacket.

First American Edition of the author's first book, published fifteen years after the 500-copy English edition (and three years after her death). In 1909, Kathleen Beauchamp's mother traveled to London from their native New Zealand to check on her daughter -- and discovered 20-year-old Kathleen pregnant by one man, married to but quickly separated from (the same day!) another man, and living with a woman. Her mother sent Kathleen off to spend 1909-1910 in a German pension -- which specialized in "hosing down" its guests with ice water! Kathleen quickly moved to a cheaper (and presumably less-invigorating) pension; during these months she suffered a miscarriage. As pointed out by John Middleton Murry (her subsequent second husband), in the Introduction that he wrote for this (and the second English) edition, "Katherine" would not allow this book to be reprinted. In 1920 she had written to Murry, "I cannot have IN A GERMAN PENSION reprinted under any circumstances. It is far too _immature_, and I don't even acknowledge it today." Thus it was not until after her death from tuberculosis, in January 1923, that Murry began arranging for this and other of her writings to be published. This is a fine copy except a little "bumpiness" of the spine label; the dust jacket is very good to near-fine (quite minor edge-wear, one one-inch closed tear, and the usual fading of the pale pink background). This American edition is rather uncommon: although its number of copies is unknown, it is known that total American sales through 1944 (including a 1935 reprint) amounted to only 3,873 copies. Kirkpatrick A1b.