Rice, Elmer. A Voyage to Purilia. New York: Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, 1930. First edition. Octavo, pp. [1-6] 1-297 [298]. Original black cloth, front and spine panels stamped in silver, top edge stained green, fore and bottom edges rough-trimmed, decorative endpapers. A fine copy in a very good pictorial dust jacket with very minor edge chips and some darkening to rear panel but a very attractive copy in general, and uncommon as such. #1836. $150. The most relevant tradition for this very amusing novel is probably the satirical imaginary voyage of the 18th century. The name of the imagined planet (Purilia) is a thinly disguised version of "puerile", but it's not entirely clear whether the author is mocking the emerging conventions of what was still a very young art form, or the naive audiences inclined to take everything they saw as a realistic mimesis. "An exuberant satirical romance which mercilessly sends up the clichés and coy conventions of Hollywood by imagining a world where all the tricks of cinematography and follies of scriptwriting are reflected in reality; the plot proceeds at a fast pace to the inevitable fadeout." -- Barron (ed), Fantasy Literature 3-311. "A voyage to another planet forms the background to a satire on cinemaland." -- Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, p. 182. "Very cleverly handled." -- Bleiler, Science Fiction: The Early Years 1863. Negley, Utopian Literature: A Bibliography 966. "Satire on romantic films showing a planet based on such films. The author, who at some point changed his name legally to Rice, was best known as a playwright and won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1929." -- Sargent, online database of utopian literature. Seller Inventory # 1836

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Bibliographic Details

Title: A Voyage to Purilia

Publisher: Cosmopolitan

Publication Date: 1930

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Edition: 1st 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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