Background
This story is set in the Canada del Oro (Canyon of Gold)
in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, Arizona. Harold Bell Wright
took his title from the name of one
of the area's best known "lost mines."
Collecting
This novel and Helen of the Old House are the most common Appleton title by
Harold Bell Wright. All American first editions were published by
Appleton, who always included a printing number on the last page of the
book. Printing numbers higher than (1) are considered less
desirable by collectors than first printings. Reprints were also
published by A.L. Burt, Triangle, Ryerson, Hodder & Stoughton, and Thall
& Carlsson.
Total sales: 424,331
Notes for Owners of Harold Bell Wright's
Books and Collectibles:
Ryerson, 1923, Canadian first edition. Identical to
American first.
Review of Book
by Dr. Joyce Kinkead Copyright
1979 by Joyce Kinkead. Used by
Permission.
Wright's
1923 southwestern novel, The Mine with the Iron Door, begins with
a customary western motif. However,
Wright subtly writes of Indian protest against white American society.
The theme is not so much West versus East as it is original West
versus encroaching civilization. There is also the usual theme of Anglo West versus Anglo
East. In addition, the
novel is a modern version of Chaucer's "The Pardoner's Tale"
as it includes the curse of gold theme.
But the novel dwells largely on the Indian's role in contemporary
society and the effects of that role.
The story begins with an excellent description of the Tucson area
near the Santa Catalina Mountains in a mesa called the Canyon of Gold.
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