"FOR MY DEAR DRINKING PARTNER"

KENT, Rockwell. Salamina. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1935. Octavo, original gilt-stamped blue cloth, dust jacket likely supplied. $1100.

First trade edition of Kent’s profusely illustrated Greenland adventure, inscribed by him on the front free endpaper, "Inscribed for my dear drinking partner (Detroit February 10th 1937) Martha Amore by Rockwell Kent." With 21 color plates, double-page color map and many in-text illustrations.

The inspiration for this beautifully illustrated work lay in several trips Rockwell Kent made to Greenland and his love affair with a Greenlander named Salamina Fleischer, whose name became the title of this 1935 work. As critics noted on publication: "Plenty of people run away from civilization, but few of them to such good purpose as does Rockwell Kent. He can write, he can draw and paint, and he can look back at our benighted civilization through the small end of a telescope without losing his sense of proportion" (New York Times). Kent describes Salamina best in summing up his book as a work of "Adventure, Romance, brave men and beautiful unmoral women… In short, great stuff." "First Edition" on copyright page. With frontispiece, illustrated title page, double-page map, illustrated chapter headings and 20 color plates by Kent. Published coincident with a specially bound author's issue of 100 copies. Bookplate. Front panel of dust jacket tipped to half title.

Book near-fine, dust jacket with shallow wear to corners, bright and near-fine.