(#159433) THE OUTLAW'S BRIDE, AND OTHER TALES. By Leitch Ritchie, Mrs. S. C. Hall, Miss Mitford, Miss Sheridan, Mrs. Alaric Watts, "The Author of Granby," &c. &c. In Two Volumes. Leitch Anonymously Edited Anthology. Ritchie.

THE OUTLAW'S BRIDE, AND OTHER TALES. By Leitch Ritchie, Mrs. S. C. Hall, Miss Mitford, Miss Sheridan, Mrs. Alaric Watts, "The Author of Granby," &c. &c. In Two Volumes. Philadelphia: E. L. Carey & A. Hart. Boston: Lilly, Wait, Colman & Holden, 1833. 12mo, two volumes: pp. [1-7] 8-215 [216: blank]; [1-7] 8-212, nineteenth-century three- quarter calf and marbled boards, black leather title piece affixed to spine panel. First edition. An anthology of stories derived from British literary annuals dated between 1830 and 1833 (published 1829-1832), including THE KEEPSAKE, FRIENDSHIP'S OFFERING, and THE FORGET ME NOT. In addition to work by numerous popular authors of the period like Leitch Ritchie, Mrs. Mitford, and Miss Sheridan, THE OUTLAW’S BRIDE AND OTHER TALES includes a number of interesting early contributions to fantastic fiction. Thomas Henry Lister’s “A Dialogue for the Year 2130: Extracted from the Album of a Modern Sibyl” is a satirical sketch of an alternate future in which most of the great nations of the world are English speaking, and the United States has split into smaller kingdoms, each ruled by a duke. Scientific and technological innovations include robot servants, automatic writing devices, mechanical mounts, and rapid-firing guns. The upper classes spend most of their time traveling to the farthest corners of the globe, including the North Pole. Interestingly enough, Lister’s sketch includes discussion of how the lower classes read “scientific novels” with titles such as LOVE AND ALGEBRA. In addition, four of the selections are supernatural: the anonymous “The Fisherman of Lake Calabrese” (Cosmo Calderini, a fisherman from a small rural village, seeks his fortune amidst the Nine Years War near Turin only to learn he has deceived by the devil.), Derwent Conway’s “The Painter of Pisa” (Commissioned to paint a picture of incomparable feminine ugliness, Giotto seeks out Malfeo’s forbidden portrait The Spouse of Satan with disastrous results.), the Ettrick Shepherd’s (James Hogg) “The Seeking of Houdy” (Robin, a shepherd, is fetching a midwife when he encounters a mysterious old woman who claims to be a future version of his daughter who has just been born.), and John Galt’s “The Confession” (Returning from India, a solider is confronted by the glowing skeleton of a former friend who was executed for a murder the solider actually committed before being deployed.). Also of interest is Mrs. C. Hall’s “The Mosspits,” a criminous romance about a man accused of a barn burning. Bound with DELORAINE by William Godwin ... (Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard), first U.S. edition, two volumes: pp. 210; 204. This is Godwin's very scarce last novel, published the same year in England by Richard Bentley. Bleiler, Science-Fiction: The Early Years 2462 (citing THE KEEPSAKE printing). Calf rubbed, internally fine. OCLC reports 7 copies and American Imprints adds two. Rare. Apparently, there was no British edition, the book is not found in COPAC or NSTC. (#159433).

Price: $1,250.00

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