"The Strange Woman" by Ben Ames Williams, published by the Sun Dial Press, Garden City New York, 1945.

Hard boards, original publisher's maroon cloth with blind embossed title on the front board, gilt lettering on spine, 5.1/4" x 8.1/4"; 507 pages, untrimmed bottom edge of the pages, very good condition.

Williams said he started writing this book as a picture of life in Bangor, Maine in the years leading up to and during the Civil War but ended up writing a novel about a very conniving and twisted woman.

Set in the early 19th century, "The Strange Woman" takes place in Bangor, Maine, where logging and lumber mills have made the town prosperous. Jenny Hager has grown up in Bangor, not far from the watchful eye of wealthy Isaiah Poster. The fact that Jenny is twenty years Isaiah's junior does not stem his amorous intentions, and when she's finally out of her teens, Jenny accepts his proposal of marriage. But beneath her sweet exterior, Jenny is a shrewd, conniving women, and while she makes a fine life for herself with Isaiah's money, she obviously doesn't care for him. When Isaiah's son Ephraim visits from college, Jenny is immediately attracted to him. And Jenny's scheming doesn't stop there. Nothing and no one seems to be able to stop her - not even the thought of murder.

"I highly recommend this to anyone interested in historical fiction and the interesting characters in it. It turned out to be a fascinating work about a woman who isn't seen for what she truly is except by a very few." [a private review]

US: Priority (c 2-4 days) -------- $12.50
Canada: 1st Class (c 2-6 weeks) -- $27.50
World: 1st Class (c 2-7 weeks) --- $35.50