Blake, James Vila. ST. SOLIFER WITH OTHER WORTHIES AND UNWORTHIES. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr and Company, 1891. First edition. Octavo, pp. [1-4] [1-5] 6-179 [180-186: ads], frontispiece and conjugate leaf of ads inserted, original blue cloth, printed paper label affixed to spine panel, top edge stained maroon. . Cloth rubbed at spine ends, corner tips, and along bottom edges, spine label rubbed and illegible, else a very good copy. (#131862) $45.00. Presentation copy with signed inscription by Blake to Louise M. Dunning date 17 June 1891 on front free endpaper. "Fourteen stories, sharing something in form with the essays for which the author was more noted. The atmosphere is antiquarian and scholarly, the style genial and digressive, in keeping with the genteel tradition that was then beginning to decline. The author seems aware of the dangers of his style, at one point wondering if he is constructing something that is 'all portico and no room.' The stories are usually based on legend, history or myth, including, in two cases, Zoroastrian mythology. Another, 'A Like Case,' compares the case of a profligate hypocritical pope from the late Roman empire to the split personality motif in Stevenson's JEKYLL AND HYDE. Minor material with outcroppings of the fantastic and nice touches here and there." -- Robert Eldridge. Not in Wright, American Fiction 1876-1900.

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Bibliographic Details

Title: ST. SOLIFER WITH OTHER WORTHIES AND UNWORTHIES
Publisher: Charles H. Kerr and Company
Publication Date: 1891
Binding: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Edition
Condition: Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Signed: Signed by Author(s)

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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