THE CRIMSON CHAIR AND OTHER STORIES. London: Ward & Downey, 12 York Street, Covent Garden, 1891. Octavo, pp. [1-8] [1] 2-278 [279-280: ads], original pictorial brown cloth, front panel stamped in red, black, silver and gold, spine panel stamped in gold, publisher's monogram stamped in blind on rear panel, top edge untrimmed, other edges rough trimmed, floral pattered endpapers. First edition. Irish writer Richard Dowling (1846-1898) published quite a bit of sensation and crime fiction. His THE CRIMSON CHAIR AND OTHER STORIES "is a collection of 15 stories, mostly romantic melodramas, many of which contain criminous elements, such as the gypsy counterfeiters in 'A Night Walk' and the nefarious bigamist in 'In the Nick of Time.' 'The Crimson Chair' is a science fiction story in which the mysterious Dr. Oubliettes, a self-proclaimed 'mind-mender,' has invented a device that can either amplify or erase targeted memories with somewhat ironic results. 'The Last of the Ormwealds' is a Gothic tale of madness in which Jasper Ormwealds plots the murder of his cousin, Edwin, in order to obtain the estate Edwin has inherited, as well as the woman Edwin loves. In 'A Spectre of the Sea,' a man haunted by the image of his dead wife believes he has actually encountered her ghost only to learn that his wife survived the shipwreck he believes took her life several years earlier. While Dowling's stories are well written and witty, his plots often hinge on coincidence, and his whimsical, lighthearted endings are unsatisfying" (Boyd White). Hubin (1994), p. 243. Loeber and Loeber D 148. Sutherland, Victorian Fiction, p. 196. Early gift inscription on the recto of the front free endpaper. Cloth worn at spine ends and corner tips, wear along outer rear joint with just a bit of fraying to cloth, gold lettering on spine panel very faded, a tight, good copy. (#169880).
Price: $250.00
No statement of printing.