Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War 1899

Mr. Dooley in Peace and in WarFinley Peter DunneSmall, Maynard & Company, Boston, 1899First Edition, Third Printing — January 1899

An early printing of Finley Peter Dunne’s celebrated Mr. Dooley in Peace and in War, published at the height of the character’s extraordinary turn-of-the-century popularity.

The publisher’s statement on the copyright page records the remarkably rapid early publication history: the First Edition of 10,000 copies appeared in November 1898, followed by another 10,000 copies in December and this Third Printing of 10,000 copies in January 1899.

Dunne’s fictional Mr. Dooley—an Irish-American Chicago saloonkeeper—became one of the best-known voices of American humor and political commentary of the era. Written in dialect and filled with observations on politics, society, wealth, war, and everyday American life, the Mr. Dooley pieces made Dunne nationally famous.

This copy retains its original dark green cloth binding with bright gilt titles and decorative shamrock devices to the front board and spine. A particularly appealing example for collectors of early American literature, political satire, Chicago history, or simply handsome nineteenth-century books.