A Spoil of Office was published by Arena Publishing in 1892, and it is Garland’s most explicitly political novel — a fictionalized account of the Populist movement that was sweeping the Midwest in the early 1890s.
Bradley Talcott is a young Iowa farmer who is drawn into politics through the Farmers’ Alliance — the organizational precursor to the Populist Party. Educated by the speeches, pamphlets, and debates of the agrarian revolt, he rises from local activist to state legislator, learning at each stage the compromises, corruptions, and disappointments that political life entails. His mentor and eventual love interest is Ida Wilbur, a charismatic woman lecturer who travels the Alliance circuit advocating for farmers’ rights — a figure based on the real women who played significant roles in the Populist movement.
The novel’s political content is detailed and specific: Garland explains the economic grievances of farmers (high railroad rates, tight money, falling crop prices), the organizational structure of the Alliance (local, county, state, and national levels), and the rhetorical strategies of Populist speakers. The result is a novel that doubles as a historical document — one of the few fictional accounts of the Populist movement written by someone who was present at its creation.
Collecting A Spoil of Office
First edition (Arena Publishing, Boston, 1892): Cloth binding.
Market values:
- First edition: $50–$150
- Later editions: $10–$20