Antique 1899 Billy Baxter's Letters By WM J Kountz jr. Duquesne Distributing CO, Harmarville, PA. Red Raven Books 1st Edition 6th printing. Printed by R.R. Donnelley and SONS Company AT THE Lakeside Press, Chicago, Ill Below is from BIBLIO's AARDWOLF Fine Books--a wonderful description of this book: Red Raven Corporation, Red Raven, PA, 1899; 12mo, 90 pages; First Edition, enlarged; illustrated cloth boards; untrimmed page edges; top edges gilt. A series of riotous tales relating the escapades of fictional bon-vivant Billy Baxter, written in the form of fictional letters addressed to an absent chum, identified only as "Jim." Authored by William J. Kountz, Jr., founder of Red Raven Corporation, manufacturers and bottlers of Billy Baxter carbonated sodas. The stories were first published individually in booklet form as a product promotion between 1888-1889 and made available to the public via post for the price of an envelope and the enclosure of four unused 1 postage stamps. (In an ad for the booklets, the author admonishes the public, "Do not lick the stamps and attach them to your letter of request, as at some future date we may need to use same, and the Government foolishly requires a whole stamp.") The booklets achieved instant popularity, and in less than a year?s time the author became a celebrated humorist, with over three and a half million copies of the stories had already been distributed. Kountz was deluged with offers for his writing talent from many quarters throughout the United States, but viewing himself primarily as a businessman, and his literary endeavors as merely an amusing sideline, he declined them all. Just days after the completion of "In New York," in August of 1889, William J. Kountz, Jr. died suddenly at age 31. That same year, as a tribute, his firm published a hardback edition containing four stories: "One Night," "In Society," "In Love," and "In New York," with an introductory preface by his brother and business partner, George McCullin Kountz. In 1913 the present enlarged edition was released, containing the four original stories and preface, plus two previously unpublished pieces: "Out Hunting," and "Johnny Black?s Girl," a total of six stories in all. Billy Baxter is notable not alone for his urbane sense of humor and his misadventures, but as well for his liberal use of an original type of sophisticated slang which predates P.G. Wodehouse?s Bertie Wooster by some thirty years. Beautifully illustrated with six b w plates by Anna Burnham PLEASE REFER TO ALL PHOTOS FOR A BETTER VISUAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ITEM All of My Items Come from a Smoke Free Home I Strive to Ship Next Day Feel Free to Look Through My Other Listings Please contact me with any issues prior to leaving negative/neutral Feedbacks or low detail rating, as I will always do my best to solve any problems that may come up! Please refer to all photos above for a better visual description of the product being offered and it's condition. If you have any further questions, please feel free to message me Any props that are used in the taking of the photos are not included. Only the item/items in the title of the listings are being sold Notice Regarding Vintage Items: I specialize in vintage items that are usually 50+ years old. It is important that you examine this item carefully before bidding. I welcome all the questions. While I try hard to get my description accurate, you must look at the pictures and remember that vintage is NOT new or mint. Unless otherwise stated, items WILL have age related wear. These are usually items that are no longer manufactured or available by retail. I buy at estate auctions, yard sales, and antique stores, and I surface clean most but not all of my items. I try to describe my items the best I can. There is no intentional misleading information in my listings, but there may be a mistake or something missed occasionally due to human error. I do not smoke, however the previous owner(s) might have. If you buy or collect vintage, you must know that the items come from an era when the vast majority of Americans did smoke. Most of my customers want items in their authentic condition, which shows wear and proves age, so I leave any deep cleaning to the buyer's discretion. My items are sold in "as is" condition. I try to highlight any flaws over and above normal wear and tear, but again, you must look at the pictures and please feel free to ask questions.