1909 1st edition; January 1909 stated; The Bobbs-Merrill Company Publishers, Indianapolis; illustrations by Arthur I. Keller; hardbound in embossed green boards; quite good condition with unmarked pages except for original owner's signature on inside page; no dust jacket.
 
Description -
'54-40 or Fight' is the first book in a trilogy by Emerson Hough. The next two books in the trilogy are Purchase Price and John Rawn. The title references the expansion of the United States that President James K. Polk called for. The expansion was to include Texas, California, and the Oregon territory. Since the northern boundary of Oregon was the latitude line of 54 degrees, 40 minutes, "fifty-four forty or fight!" became a popular slogan.
 
The book was dedicated to Theodore Roosevelt. 54-40 or Fight was a financial success.
 
Author -
Hough's literary career grew out of his taking camping trips and writing about them for publication. His body of work eventually included 27 novels and hundreds of short stories and articles. Hough's early works included The Singing Mouse Stories, for children, and the nonfiction The Story of the Cowboy. He had his first major success in 1902 with his novel The Mississippi Bubble, which became a bestseller. 54-40 or Fight begins: Then you offer me no hope, Doctor? The gray mane of Doctor Samuel Ward waved like a fighting crest as he made answer: Not the sort of hope you ask. A moment later he added: John, I am ashamed of you. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.