Bennett, Alfred Gordon. Whom the Gods Destroy. [Colwyn Bay, North Wales and London]: Pharos Books Ltd, [1946]. First edition. Octavo, [1-6] 7-100 [1-105: publisher ads] [106: publisher's imprint]. Original plain paper covers, side-stapled, with pictorial self-wrappers printed in blue, pink and black. A very good copy of a rather precariously manufactured book. #1937. $75. Reginald 01101. A novella of supernatural horror set in contemporary Mongapur, a small semi-autonomous principality of northeast India which, at the time of the story, was still under the supervision of Britain. The village is overlooked by a Mahayana Buddhist lamasery, whose abbot, an ancient specimen, turns out to have accumulated tremendous magical skill. When the prince visits the lamasery and discovers a beautiful girl in the village, he decides to add her to his harem and makes off with her. This sets off the string of occult mysteries and catastrophes, as narrated by the local C. I. S. to a visiting fellow Scot. A work of low-brow commercial fiction, to be sure, using typical character and plot ingredients to deliver the atmospheric thrills of its genre -- but it does deliver them, which in this case is the whole point. Bennett makes the unlikely believable by insulating it within layers of local color detail, and the novella length perfectly suits his story, feeling neither skimpy nor padded. Wisely, he does not over explicate the occult doctrinal underpinnings of the events. The author wrote several romances in the 1920s with fantastic elements, but is remembered chiefly for The Demigods, his 1939 semi-allegorical tale of giant malevolent ants intent on world domination. He also published film criticism, poetry and a non-fiction survey of the paranormal. This present title was to be the inaugural work for this publisher, with several announced titles advertised at the rear, including two collections of weird tales by Bennett, but, alas, none of them seem to have actually seen the light of day. Seller Inventory # 1937

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Whom the Gods Destroy

Publisher: Pharos Books

Publication Date: 1946

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Very Good

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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