Captivity Narrative of Hannah Duston

San Francisco: Arion Press, 1987. Hardcover. Fine. Hardcover. One of 400 copies signed by the illustrator. This handsome work from the Arion Press offers four versions of events in 1697. In that year an Indian party attacked the colonial settlement of Haverhill, Massachusetts. During the raid, Hannah Duston, a thirty-nine year old was taken captive from her childbirth bed, along with her nurse. Hannah and her fellow captives attacked the Indians in the pre-dawn while they slept and killed all but a squaw and small boy who escaped. When Hannah and her fellow captives returned to civilization, they were rewarded by Massachusetts authorities for their deeds. Indian captivity narratives became one of the first forms of American literature, as these pieces by important American writers show. The narratives are interspersed with thirty-five woodblock prints by Richard Bosman. Bosman is an American artist, educator, and illustrator. Bosman is best known for his paintings and prints. His work is often related to crime, adventure, and disaster narratives; rural Americana; and nature and domestic themes. Bound in quarter brown cloth over textured brown paper boards, with a paper spine label printed in black. Printed on Rives heavyweight, a mouldmade paper from France. The types are Frederic Goudy's Kennerley Bold, with Monotype for subsidiary material, with Neuland Inline for display. In fine condition. Folio volume measuring 12.75 x 17 inches. 53 pages plus colophon. PRI/100324. (Inventory #: 37524)