THE MASTER KEY: AN ELECTRICAL FAIRY TALE. Indianapolis: The Bowen-Merrill Company Publishers, [1901]. Octavo, pp. [1-18] 1-245 [246: blank], twelve inserted plates with illustrations in color and other black and white sketches in the text by F. Y. Corey, title page printed in orange and black, original olive-green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold, rear panel stamped in blind, pictorial paper overlay on front panel. First edition, third state with "The Bowen-Merrill Company" on copyright measuring 1 25/32 inches in length. "This 'fairy tale founded upon the wonders of electricity' might be considered a venture into the realm of science fiction. It is the story of a boy who, in the course of his experiments with the electrical equipment that fills his room, accidentally touches the Master Key and summons up the Demon of Electricity." - Baughman 57. Anatomy of Wonder (1987) 5-9. Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 136. Clareson, Science Fiction in America, 1870s-1930s 049. Locke, A Spectrum of Fantasy, p. 29. Bleiler (1978), p. 17. Reginald 00949. Baughman 57. Schiller 77. Cloth lightly worn at head and tail of spine panel and corner tips, a tight, bright, very good copy. (#11966).
Price: $350.00
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