THE GOOD EARTH by Buck, Pearl S - 1932

New York: The John Day Company, 1932. Hardcover. Very good. This copy is inscribed by Margaret Chung, the first known American-born Chinese female physician, to actress Pauline Frederick on the verso of the front flyleaf: "To Miss Pauline Frederick, Life has become good on Earth since knowing you, which is the greatest privilege that has ever come to me, with genuine admiration and sincerest friendship, Margaret J. Chung, M.D."

The inspiration for character of Dr. Mary Ling in the 1939 film King of Chinatown, Chung (1889-1959) established one of the first Western medical clinics in San Francisco's Chinatown in the 1920s. She also became a prominent celebrity and behind-the-scenes political broker during World War II. Chung gained national fame when she began "adopting" thousands of soldiers, sailors, and flyboys, including Ronald Reagan, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, and Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. A pioneer in both professional and political realms, Chung experimented in her personal life as well. She adopted masculine dress and had romantic relationships with other women, such as writer Elsa Gidlow and entertainer Sophie Tucker.

Winner of the 1932 Pulitzer Prize, The Good Earth follows the life of Wang Lung, from his beginnings as an impoverished Chinese peasant to his eventual position as a prosperous landowner. It's sympathetic portrayal of the Chinese, like the work of actress Anna May Wong, who played Dr. May Ling in King of Chinatown, did much to shape American popular opinion in the years leading up to World War II.

Later printing. Octavo: 375 p. Original cloth binding, with gilt titles. The spine is a touch sun faded, with a bit of faint staining to the tips; else very good.