DRUMMOND, William Henry. THE HABITANT. [EDITION DE LUXE, SIGNED, EXTRA ILLUS, WITH DRAMATIC HANDWRITTEN LETTER] New York/London: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1897. 8vo. Full green gilt-stamped cloth boards. Top edges gilt, front and bottom uncut. Illustrated with plates by F.S. COBURN, plus in-text illustrations, mounted clipping of photograph of Drummond. Limited edition #598, signed by Drummond. Sold with 5-page handwritten letter from Drummond to "Alfred," dated Aug 10 1898 (Montreal); heatedly discusses the AUTHORSHIP DEBATE OF “JULIE PLANTE” and the involvement of a George C. Rankin ("a first class 'bluffer' trying to get a little cheap advertising by sticking to a very old lie," qtd. from letter), among others, who attempted to claim authorship of the poem; “Julie Plante,” credited to Drummond, appears on pgs. 8-10 of “The Habitant.” Generally good condition, various imperfections; front hinge split, frontis loose. *** William Henry Drummond (1854-1907) was an Irish-born Canadian poet whose humorous dialect poems made him "one of the most popular authors in the English-speaking world"; "His first book of poetry, The Habitant, was extremely successful" and established Drummond's reputation as a reputation. *Additional images and detailed condition reports are available upon request.