"A MAJOR FORCE IN 20TH-CENTURY LITERATURE"

WELTY, Eudora. A Curtain of Green. New York: Doubleday, Doran, 1941. Octavo, original red cloth, original dust jacket. $2200.

First edition of the first book of short stories by Welty—"one of the most gifted and interesting short story writers of our time"—featuring 17 stories together in book form for the first time, with Katherine Anne Porter's famous introduction, a handsome copy in the original dust jacket.

Welty's "evocative short stories, notable for their imagery, sharp dialogue and fierce wit, made her a revered figure in contemporary American letters" (New York Times). On publication of Curtain of Green, her first book of short stories, fellow writers and critics took quick notice. Katherine Anne Porter writes, in her introduction: "She can very well become a master of the short story, there are almost perfect stories in this book." The New York Times reviewer agreed: "Few contemporary books have ever impressed me quite as deeply as this book of stories by Eudora Welty," and the New Republic called Welty "one of the most gifted and interesting short story writers of our time." She remains "a major force in 20th-century literature" (Marrs, Eudora Welty, xi). First edition, first printing with "First Edition" stated on copyright page; first issue dust jacket with "A.C.O.G." on front flap, "Price, $2.50" on front and rear flaps. With 17 stories earlier featured in magazine such as Southern Review, Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Bazaar, and in O. Henry Memorial Award Prize Stories of 1939, and Best American Short Stories 1939. Polk A2.1.

Book fine; toning to near-fine dust jacket.