Rebecca Rush, 1812

[RUSH, Rebecca (1779-c.1850)]. Kelroy: A Novel. By a Lady of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Jane Aitken for Bradford and Inskeep, 1812.

Rare first edition of America's Gothic answer to Jane Austen—a tragic marriage plot in Pennsylvania. Rush was the scion of a prominent family which included a signer and several artists. Her novel was overshadowed by the War of 1812, but its insightful depiction of social dynamics in contemporary America and dark yet witty take on the marriage plot have made it the subject of enduring interest. In addition to being written by a woman, it was printed by the important Philadelphia printer Jane Aitken. The last auction record for this work in RBH is from 1924. BAL 26670; Wright 2261.

12mo (173 x 116mm). (Title dust-soiled, foxing throughout.) Contemporary straight-grain morocco gilt. Provenance: "Martha Edwards" (inscription on flyleaf) – "John Payne, London 23 18th 181?" (inscription on title, perhaps the American actor John Howard Payne) – faded stamp on title.