THE FACE OF PAN: A ROMANCE OF THE AGES, AND OTHER STORIES. London: Macgregor Reid & Shaw, Ltd., 1907. Octavo, pp. [1-2] [1-5] 6-118, original maroon cloth, front and spine panel stamped in gold, all edges untrimmed. First edition. Ten short pieces of fiction. The title story, a novelette, is told within a frame situation and traces a Swedish aristocrat's pursuit of classical learning and lore, culminating in his discovery of a genuine Greek water nymph on a tiny Mediterranean island. Their idyllic affair is overshadowed by tragedy when Count Adrien insists on bringing her back to the continent. She poses for a statue in Rome; importunes a Catholic priest, who comes to a bad end; and has some mysterious connection with a violinist who is himself a Greek satyr in disguise. She disappears one day and he must continue (to the South Seas) to fulfill his vow to erect a temple to Artemis in a place where no man has ever set foot. The hero confidently proclaims (to his audience, the frame narrator) his allegiance to the old gods, yet acts more like a proper Victorian gentleman around his nymph. The real confusion resides with the author. The other stories are not fantastic in any way. Amateurish writing. Bleiler (1978), p. 183. Not in Reginald (1979; 1992). Owner's name and date on front free endpaper. Cloth rubbed at spine ends and corner tips, a very good copy. A rare book, not found in any COPAC or OCLC libraries. (#113164).
Price: $225.00
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