Item #901466 A Melodrame Entitled "Treason, Stratagems, and Spoils" William L. Adams, George N. Belknap, Author.
A Melodrame Entitled "Treason, Stratagems, and Spoils"

A Melodrame Entitled "Treason, Stratagems, and Spoils"

Eugene, Oregon: Archon Books / University of Oregon Books, 1968.
Hardcover.

A significant document in the field of Western Americana, Treason, Stratagems, and Spoils, is a satirical look at the politics of the newly formed territory of Oregon which first appeared serially in the Portland Oregonian of 1852. The author, writing under the pseudonym of Breakspear, was perhaps the best-read Oregonian of his time. Apart from the pun on Shakespeare’s name and the title drawn from the Merchant of Venice, literary allusions, quotations and echoes abound in the text. Adams insight and prescience in regard to Democratic Party affairs in the newly developing territory are also evident throughout, and there is little doubt that his contemporaries, while perhaps not understanding all of his many references, were fully aware of the main targets of his attack.

This edition of the work, the first since its original printing, was published by Archon Books for the Yale University Library. The commentary and extensive notes by UO Professor George N. Belknap, provide an informed assessment of the work and its impact on early Oregon politics, as well as its significance as an interpretive document.

Item #901466
ISBN: 0208006974

Octavo, turquoise cloth, 163pp, introduction, notes, index.

Archon Books printing for University of Oregon Books label pasted on title page (with associated glue discoloration visible on copyright page), bumping to corners of boards, else a fine, bright, crisp copy in near fine dust wrapper with a bit of crimping to extreme corners, in protective mylar.

Price: $30.00