Three Years in a Man-Trap by T.S. Arthur - 1872
Book Details
Title: Three Years in a Man-Trap
Author: T. S. Arthur
Signed: No
Publisher: J. M. Stoddart & Co. (Philadelphia)
Edition: First Edition
Printing: 1872
Publication Year: 1872
Binding: Publisher’s brown cloth, stamped in black and gilt; floral and geometric decorative design; brown coated endpapers
Dust Jacket Condition: N/A (as issued)
Condition: Fair to Good — Boards show wear, rubbing, and spotting; fraying to spine tips and edges; hinges cracked with some separation (see photos); pages toned with scattered foxing and soil; ownership name in pencil on front endpaper; text block complete and intact.
Illustrator/Editor/Preface: Illustrated throughout; Publisher’s Preface included
Provenance: Ownership inscription (“John Metz”) on front endpaper
Rarity / Collectibility: Important 19th-century temperance novel, written as a sequel to Arthur’s famous Ten Nights in a Bar-Room. This edition was published nearly 20 years later and continues Arthur’s crusade against alcohol by shifting the focus to urban saloon life and the “monster Intemperance.” Widely read and influential in the temperance movement.
Description
Three Years in a Man-Trap (1872) by T. S. Arthur is the powerful sequel to his landmark temperance novel Ten Nights in a Bar-Room. While the earlier book depicted the ruinous effects of liquor in a small-town tavern, this follow-up expands the scope to a city setting, where saloons and dram-shops number in the thousands.
Arthur, one of the most widely read American moral reform writers of the 19th century, once again illustrates the destructive social and spiritual consequences of alcohol. With dramatic narrative and vivid character portrayals, Arthur “grapples with the monster Intemperance” and exposes the saloon as a deadly force eating away at the very fabric of society.
This work was both a continuation of Arthur’s temperance mission and a reflection of the growing urban challenges of the post-Civil War period. It remains an important artifact of the American temperance and prohibition movements and a companion piece to his most famous work.
Condition Notes
- Brown cloth boards with black stamping; gilt spine title still visible
- Moderate edge and corner wear, rubbing, and surface spotting
- Spine ends frayed; some loss at tips
- Hinges cracked with some separation (see photos)
- Ownership name penciled on front endpaper
- Pages toned with occasional foxing; text remains complete and legible
Please review all photos carefully for exact condition of boards, spine, hinges, and text block.
