NORTH OF FIFTY-THREE BY REX BEACH, USED

• Publisher: Garden City Publishing Co., Inc. (Garden City, New York)

• Publication Date: 1927 (Originally published by Doubleday, Page & Company in 1904/1905)

• Format: Small, pocket-sized cloth hardcover with gold gilt lettering on the front cover.

Historical & Content Background

Rex Beach (1877–1949) was an incredibly popular American novelist, playwright, and Olympic water polo player. He is often called the "Victor Hugo of the North." In 1900, he rushed to Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. While he didn't strike it rich in gold, he struck it rich in stories. He spent years mining and exploring, channeling those raw, dangerous experiences into thrilling, gritty fiction.

North of Fifty-Three is a collection of short stories set in the frozen, lawless wilds of the far north (the title refers to latitudes north of the 53rd parallel). His most famous story in this specific volume is "The Scourge," a harrowing tale about a smallpox epidemic hitting a remote Arctic mining camp, which was later adapted into a silent film.

This specific 1927 edition was put out under Garden City Publishing's "A Pocket Copyright" line. This was an early, pre-paperback attempt by publishers to sell affordable, compact, lightweight hardcovers of popular titles to travelers and casual readers.