Invitation to Live

Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1940. Presumed First Edition, First printing. Hardcover. Good. [12], 303, [5] pages. Some cover wear. Bottom of spine worn. Inscribed to Jaime [Palmer] on fep. Lloyd Cassel Douglas (August 27, 1877 - February 13, 1951) born Doya C. Douglas, was an American minister and author. Douglas was one of the most popular American authors of his time, although he did not write his first novel until he was 50. His written works were of a distinctly religious tone. His first novel, Magnificent Obsession, published in 1929, was an immediate and sensational success. Critics held that his fiction was in the tradition of the great religious writings of an earlier generation, such as Ben-Hur and Quo Vadis. Douglas then wrote Forgive Us Our Trespasses; Precious Jeopardy; Green Light; White Banners; Disputed Passage; Invitation To Live; Doctor Hudson's Secret Journal; The Robe, and The Big Fisherman. From an on-line review: A central figure is a clergyman, a church Dean, in Chicago, wheel-chair bound, who is an inspirational sermonizer. Key characters come into contact with him, ultimately to their betterment. Sally is discovered by a Hollywood agent and whisked off to make a film. She makes a successful film -- and also makes enemies with her selfish and spendthrift behavior. Well, the overall arc is fairly clear -- the Dean's ways will eventually set everyone's lives on better paths.