THE FIFTH STRING

VG. Hardcover issued without dust jacket. Covers show some wear (see photos). Dark brown cloth-covered boards, with gilt embossed art nouveau design of winged violin in tree. (Indianapolis: Bowen Merrill, 1902). First Edition of author's first book. Tissue-protected illustration plates by Howard Chandler Christy. 125 pages.

"Sousa, himself an accomplished violinist, created Angelo Diotti as the main character in this almost-true story. While on tour, Diotti meets Mildred Wallace and is immediately enamored of her. Although his concerts draw raves from adoring crowds, the celebrated violinist is unable to impress Mildred, the one whose heart he seeks. Despite all efforts to secure her love, Diotti's playing fails to penetrate her cold exterior. As his infatuation becomes more intense, Diotti is induced to add a mysterious fifth string to his violin. That fifth string, while guaranteed to win Mildred's heart, also leads Diotti to the dilemma of his life."

One reviewer writes: "E.T.A. Hoffmann's influence is palpable in this occult/mystical novella of the music of death." (Hoffman was an early 19th-century German writer, artist and composer, whose short stories are considered the first flowering of the horror/fantasy genre).

$75.00