Strong Drink: The Curse and the Cure, by T.S. Arthur - 1877
Book Details
- Title: Strong Drink; The Curse and the Cure
- Author: T. S. Arthur
- Signed: No
- Publisher: Hubbard Brothers (Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Chicago, Springfield, Mass.); N. D. Thompson & Co. (St. Louis); A. L. Bancroft & Co. (San Francisco)
- Edition: Early trade edition
- Printing: c. 1877
- Publication Year: 1877 (entered according to Act of Congress)
- Binding: Publisher’s bright blue cloth with elaborate black stamped decoration to covers and gilt title to spine; illustrated frontispiece portrait of the author with tissue guard
- Dust Jacket Condition: N/A (as issued)
- Condition: Very Good — light rubbing to edges and corners; small abrasion to spine cloth; spine gilt bright and legible; patterned brown endpapers with period bookplate of “A. J. Plank’s Library”; pages toned with expected age browning but clean and legible; binding tight and sound
- Dimensions (H × W × D): 7.5 × 5.25 × 1.25 in
- Weight: 18 oz
- Illustrator/Editor/Preface: Frontispiece portrait of T. S. Arthur; Publisher’s Preface included
- Limited Edition Details: N/A
- Signature Details: N/A
- Provenance: Bookplate of “A. J. Plank’s Library” affixed to front pastedown
- Rarity / Collectibility: A key temperance novel by noted moral reform author T. S. Arthur, following the enormous popularity of his Ten Nights in a Bar-Room. Strong Drink was widely circulated but few copies survive in such vivid cloth with gilt still bright. Highly collectible for temperance and 19th-century American reform literature.
Description
First published in 1877, Strong Drink; The Curse and the Cure by T. S. Arthur expands on the author’s moralistic fiction by blending narrative storytelling with social reform messaging. Known for his influence on the temperance movement, Arthur uses this book to illustrate the destructive powers of alcohol while offering the hope of redemption through faith and moral reform.
This volume, produced by Hubbard Brothers and associated publishers across the United States, features Arthur’s portrait as a frontispiece and retains its striking original publisher’s cloth in bright blue with elaborate black decoration.
Historical Significance: Following the monumental success of Ten Nights in a Bar-Room (1854), Arthur solidified his reputation as one of the most important literary voices of the American temperance movement. Strong Drink carried forward his mission to merge popular storytelling with moral reform, making it a cornerstone work for collectors interested in temperance, social reform, and 19th-century American moral literature.
Condition Notes
- Blue cloth binding with ornate black stamped decoration; rubbing at extremities
- Spine with small abrasion and light fray at ends; gilt titling remains bright
- Frontispiece portrait of T. S. Arthur present with tissue guard intact
- Period library bookplate (“A. J. Plank’s Library”) to front pastedown
- Pages evenly toned with age, occasional light foxing; text complete
- Binding tight and secure, hinges sound
See all photos for exact condition and details.
