Less Than Kin

(incomplete jacket) [book is moderately shelfworn, light dust-darkening to top edge and age-toning to other edges of text block, but all in all a good solid copy; all that remains of the jacket, however, are the front panel and flap (and even those are tattered and age-browned), held in place by a jacket protector]. "This is the story of Adrienne, lovely and rebellious, of mysterious parentage, and her foster mother, the infamous Selina Parsons. In the seclusion of the old Sinclair estate of Laguna Vista, in the California hills, Selina rears her fair, amber-eyed charge. Under this guidance Adrienne grows to womanhood, ignorant of her rich heritage but confident of a shining future." The jacket blurb is a little coy about the real-life inspiration for the story, but as the New York Times reviewer put it, "to any one familiar with San Francisco's history it is evident that in Selina Parsons, the dominant figure of the story, he has reconstructed the career of an actual person, the notorious Mammy Pleasant. The strange personality of that mysterious old negress was woven into the social life of the city by the Golden Gate for over thirty years. She knew almost everything -- mining ventures, divorce scandals, matters of questionable birth, complete family skeletons -- [and] is said to have made and broken more men than any other ten speculators in her day."

Product Info

Publisher: The John Day Company

Year: 1926

Type: Used

Binding: Hardcover

Seller Info

ReadInk

Address: 2261 West 21st St. Los Angeles, California

Website: https://www.readinkbooks.com

Country: United States