Woman: Can She Reason? The Famous "Cynic" Correspondence in The New York Times Saturday Review of Books and Art.
New York: The New York Times, 1899. First Edition. Printed wrappers. Item #23979
122pp. Original gray wrappers lettered in black. With an introduction by Francis Withing Halsey that explains how the correspondence started with a letter sent by Helen Church, a reader of The New York Times Saturday Review of Books and Art, in February 1899. In the letter, the reader praised social gatherings and their benefits to society. Two weeks later, the Times ran a reply by another reader, who signed himself with the name "Cynic." Halsey describes it as: "a letter radical in its views to the verge of negation and all aglow with misogyny... " This set forth a fiery exchange among several of the readers (mostly women) and the Cynic. The entire story generated such interest that the Times saw fit to reprint the entire correspondence, consisting of fifty-two letters, in a single volume. An illuminating first-hand account of debates about woman’s nature and capabilities during the era of first-wave feminism. Light chipping to spine, previous owner's name in pencil on the title page, mild shelf wear, some pencil annotations. A very good+ copy. Scarce.; Octavo.
Price: $350.00 save 30% $245.00