THOMAS MAYNE "CAPTAIN" REID - AUTOGRAPH SENTIMENT SIGNED - HFSID 299850

MAYNE "CAPTAIN" REID
Handwritten sentiment of the adventure novelist, clipped from a letter
Autograph Sentiment signed: "Believe me I am/Yours very faithfully/Mayne Reid", 5x2¼. Thomas Mayne Reid (1818-1883) was an Irish-born writer who divided his adult life between America and England. Arriving in the US in 1840, he held a succession of jobs, including actor and journalist, before volunteering for service in the Mexican War (1846-1848). While serving in the US Army, he was decorated for valor and rose to the rank of lieutenant (although thereafter he called himself "Captain Reid.") It was in England, to which Reid moved in 1850, that he wrote most of his novels, beginning with The Rifle Rangers. These books, mostly set in the American West and other untamed regions and aimed at boy readers, became quite popular. The youthful Theodore Roosevelt was an avid reader. From 1853 to 1866, Reid and his young wife lived in Gerrard's Cross, calling their residence The Ranche. In 1866, Reid designed and supervised construction of a more elaborate estate, also called The Ranche, modeled on a Mexican hacienda. Overspending on the project bankrupted Reid, who never lived in his new creation. Reid also wrote plays and poems, but his adventure novels had greater success. Three vertical folds. Lightly worn (heavily at right edge). Lightly creased. Adhesive residue on verso (no show through). Otherwise, fine condition.