The New Boy at Hilltop and Other Stories

New York and London: D. Appleton and Company, 1910. A classic original. First printing denoted by (1) at last page. Olive cloth boards, white embossed cover and spine titles, some corner, edge wear, rub. Vintage cover design w/inset color chromolithograph of baseball player sliding into base. Pages good, several color plates. String-bind; bk. hinge reinforced. Ralph Henry Barbour (1870 - 1944) was an American novelist who wrote popular works of sports fiction for boys, creating highly readable and idealistic stories that taught about the importance of sports, teamwork, and school spirit. Over his career, Barbour produced more than 100 novels. Excerpt: "Hilltop School closed its fall term with just ninety-five students; it opened again two weeks later, on the third of January, with ninety-six; and thereby hangs this tale. Kenneth Garwood had been booked for Hilltop in the autumn, but circumstances had interfered with the family's plans. Instead he journeyed to Moritzville on the afternoon of the day preceding the commencement of the new term, a very cold and blustery January afternoon, during much of which he sat curled tightly into a corner of his seat in the poorly heated day coach, which was the best the train afforded, and wondered why the Connecticut Valley was so much colder than Cleveland, Ohio. He had taken an early train from New York, and all the way to Moritzville had sought with natural eagerness for sight of his future schoolmates. But he had been unsuccessful. When Hilltop returns to school it takes the mid-afternoon express which reaches Moritzville just in time for dinner, whereas Kenneth reached the school before it was dark, and at a quarter of five was in undisputed possession, for the time being, of Number 12, Lower House." Back section of adverts for illustrated juvenile stories. 270 pages.. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" Tall. Book.