Tousey, Frank, publisher (1853-1902) The White Elephant. A Monthly Magazine of Original Stories, Ten Issues, December 1896-September 1897.
New York: Frank Tousey, 1896-1897.
Ten octavo-format pamphlets featuring color-printed front and back covers depicting the eponymous elephant in a variety of seasonal exploits; each containing six to ten short stories by a variety of male and female authors, most notably the September 1897 issue, which contains an early short story by L. Frank Baum, "The Suicide of Kiaros"; each issue with slight wear, well-preserved overall; 9 x 6 in. (10)
Tousey started publishing this literary magazine under the title, Poker Chips in October of 1896, renaming it The White Elephant for the December 1896 issue. This lot is a complete run of the periodical under the second moniker.
Baum's story, a gothic tale of an unfortunate Greek money lender, is one of his earliest appearances in print. The plot features a dead body found in a locked room, a rare mystery from the beloved creator of Oz.
