Author: (Melville, Edmond John). (1867-1940).
Title: Letters of Napoleon Gomo. [Together with]: Letters of Napoleon Gomo. (Second Batch). [and with]: Letters of Napoleon Gomo. Third Batch. (Napoleon Gomo for Governor and Other Letters). (3 Volumes).
Description: (St. Alban's, VT: The Gomo Publishing Co. 1909-1910). 1909-1910). - Octavo, softcover bound in olive green wrappers [Vols. 1 and 2] & gray wrappers [Vol. 3] with an illustration in reddish brown on each front wrap. The spines of Vol. 1 & 2 are rubbed and the wraps are lightly rubbed & bumped with their edges darkened. There are small creases to the bottom edge of the front wrap of Vol. 1 & to the top edge of the rear wrap of Vol. 2. There is a tiny piece out of the bottom corner of the front wrap of Vol. 1 and the bottom corner of the rear wrap of Vol. 2 is torn. There is some very light staining to the rear wrap of Vol. 3. 35 pages; 62 pages plus 14 pages of ads; and 69 pages plus 2 pages of ads. There is 1 full-page black-and-white illustration [reproduced on the covers] in Vols. 1 & 2. There is an owner's book label on the inside front wrap of each volume with his address stamp on the bottom edges of the labels & on the titles. A small newspaper cutting is tipped onto the inside front cover of Vol. 3 with offsetting to the title. There is a small piece out out of each title & there are small creases to the bottom edge of each leaf in Vol. 1 & the top edge of each leaf in Vols. 2 and 3. Good to very good.

Third edition of Volume 1, first edition of Volumes 2 and 3. Volume 3 is inscribed on the verso of the contents page and signed "Napoleon Gomo".

The author's preface in the first volume introduces the reader to "a character, little known and less understood, the Vermont Frenchman". The letters are written in a dialect which one presumes the author considers a form of French Canadian pidgin English.

Born in Ontario, Canada, Edmond John Melville was a doctor who graduated from the Royal College of Physicians at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario. He practiced in Bakersfield and St. Albans, Vermont and there is an ad for his St, Albans practice in Volumes 2 and 3. He developed property in Franklin County, Vermont, which became known as Melville's Landing.

Scarce. Very good .

Keywords: LITERATURE; DIALECT; PIDGIN ENGLISH; HUMOR; LETTERS OF NAPOLEON GOMO; VERMONT FRENCHMAN; FRENCH CANADIAN; EDMOND JOHN MELVILLE; DOCTOR; PHYSICIAN; INSCRIBED; SIGNED; SIGNATURE; AUTOGRAPH; FIRST EDITION; 1ST EDITION.

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