The Mystic Spring: And Other Tales of Western Life

D.W. Higgins, having himself encountered some of the most famous and infamous figures of nineteenth century Canada, himself became a key figure of Canadian literary and political history in his role as journalist, politician, and author. Born in Nova Scotia in 1834, he moved to the US where he worked as a printer and founded a newspaper, The Morning Call, in San Francisco. Later, he moved to British Columbia, where as a store-owner and occasional miner he was witness to a fascinating period of western Canadian history, namely the Fraser Valley gold rush of 1858. After a successful career as a politician, which saw him act as a strong supporter of confederation as well as becoming speaker of the house, he left politics and turned the skills as a writer which he had developed as a journalist to the creation of two semi-fictionalised accounts of his experiences in the Canadian west. The first of these, The Mystic Spring and Other Tales of Western Life, written in a typically verbose Victorian style, was well-received and, along with his other work, has become a valued example of nineteenth century Canadiana.

This example of The Mystic Spring and Other Tales of Western Life may be graded as being in Good condition. There are pencil notes on the front pastedown and flyleaf, as well as stamps from a previous school to which it belonged on both the front and back blank pages. The back hinge is cracked, but the binding is tight and all plates are present. The image and lettering on the cover and spine are faded, and there is an inventory number written in white on the spine, likely from its time in a school library. There is also wear to the fabric on the edges of the boards as well as the top and bottom of the spine, and the corners are bumped and worn. There is some foxing and staining to the pages, but the text is legible. An entirely presentable copy of a collection of stories reflecting the colourful characters encountered in the BC gold rush.