Roberts, Charles G. D. Earth's Enigmas. London: Duckworth & Company, 1904. Second edition, revised, U.K. issue. Octavo, pp. [1-10] 11-285 [286: blank] [287-290: excised], ten inserted plates with illustrations by Charles Livingston Bull, original green pictorial cloth, front panel stamped in gold and black, spine panel stamped in gold, rear panel stamped in black with publisher's monogram, top edge gilt, fore-edge rough trimmed, bottom edge untrimmed. Cloth worn at spine ends and rubbed at corner tips, spine panel a little darkened, still a very good copy. #187. $125. The book is printed from sheets of the U.S. edition (Boston: L. C. Page, 1903) with a cancel title page and the last two leaves (printing L. C. Page's ads) excised by Duckworth. In both the U.S. and U.K issues, this new edition deletes three stories printed in the 1896 Lamson Wolffe and Company edition and adds three new stories, "The House at Stony Lonesome," "The Hill of Chastisement" and "On the Tantramar Dyke." The author was noteworthy for bringing psychological realism to the animal story around the turn of the century. He dipped into the fantastic on several occasions, though most of his other stories (the "realistic" animal stories), with their somber sense of nature red in tooth and claw, can arguably be thought of as horror tales. In their frequent use of a hunter-becomes-the-hunted plot, they also share some of the mood of the conte cruel. In the present collection, "The Hill of Chastisement" is a nightmarish and possibly allegorical vision. "The Perdu," "The Barn on the Marsh" and "The Stone Dog" are all finely crafted stories of supernatural horror. Colombo, et al, Cdn SF & F: A Bibliography of Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy, p. 34. Bleiler, The Guide To Supernatural Fiction 1399. Seller Inventory # 187

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Earth's Enigmas

Publisher: Duckworth & Company

Publication Date: 1904

Binding: Hardcover

Illustrator: ten inserted plates with illustrations by Charles Livingston Bull

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket

Edition: 2nd Edition

Store Description

When I began my bookselling business in 1996 I called it "Eldritch Books" because that adjective at least partly covered the type of material I offered (and because its similarity to my own surname seemed so -- eldritch). "Ghost stories" would be another handy, if somewhat reductive, term. Most of it is fiction from the 19th and early 20th century with a strong emphasis on the fantastic. Since the most familiar and relevant genre terms in use today -- "science fiction," "fantasy," "supernatural," "horror" -- were not so much in use when these books were first published, pegging them that way can be anachronistic. But that should give you the general idea. I don't have much in the way of American pulp (either in magazine or specialty press book form) but otherwise my interests range widely from high-brow to middle-brow to low-brow to amateur/eccentric. You're more likely to find rare and obscure works here than high spots. (Or at least they're obscure now, whatever their status was when first published.) In 2001 I went to work for L. W. Currey as cataloguer and general assistant. Since 2014 I've been back working on my own. I have exhibited at convention fairs (such as WFC and Readercon) in the past. I began collecting and studying antiquarian fantasy around 1980. Some of my essays have appeared in genre publications such as NYRSF, Wormwood and F&SF. I tend to carefully research my inventory and write extensive notes. (If another dealer wishes to make use of any of these notes, I'd appreciate the courtesy of putting such excerpts in quotes and giving proper attribution to me. That's what I do when I quote from any of my reference works.) I will be gradually listing my inventory on ABE over the coming years. I hope you find something of interest.

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Robert Eldridge, Bookseller
NY, U.S.A.

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Robert Eldridge
P. O. Box 293
Elizabethtown NY 12932
USA.
Tel: 518-873-9966.
Email: rfx51@charter.net.

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I ship only by U.S. Postal Service. All shipments are packed carefully and mailed with insurance and (for domestic shipments) tracking information. Except where specified for extra large items, rates are: Domestic (within USA) Media Mail: $5. Domestic Priority: $10. International First Class (must be under 4 lbs.): $25. International Global Priority (...

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