THE CASE OF MR. LUCRAFT; AND OTHER TALES. London: Sampson Low, Marston, Searle & Rivington, 1876. Octavo, two volumes; pp. [i-v] vi-viii, [1-3] 4-290 [291-292: blank]; [i-iv], [1-3] 4-290 [291-292: blank] [last leaves in both volumes are blanks], rebound in nineteenth-century quarter brown polished calf and marbled boards. First edition. "The Case of Mr. Lucraft" employs a deal with the devil theme as in Hoffmann's "The Sandman" and Chamisso's "Peter Schlemihl;" in this case a man sells his appetite. Tone light and amusing, carries onto ghost stories. "In the highly original and very striking title story, a young man leases his healthy appetite to an old sybarite, taking upon himself the unpleasant side effects of the other's overindulgence. The collection also includes four light ghost stories and the novella 'Titania's Farewell,' a didactic tale in which the fairies leave England in protest against modern social trends." - Barron (ed), Fantasy Literature 2-17. Ashley, Who's Who in Horror and Fantasy Fiction, pp. 33-4. Bleiler, The Guide to Supernatural Fiction 156. Clute and Grant (eds), The Encyclopedia of Fantasy, p. 109. Schlobin, The Literature of Fantasy 101. Wilson, Shadows in the Attic, p. 74. Bleiler (1978), p. 22. Reginald 01214. Wolff 414. Ex-library Beechworth Public Library with their imprint on the spine panels and preliminary leaves. Spine aged, with craquelure, front free endpaper removed from volume one and rear free endpaper removed from volume two (a long time ago), terminal blank leaves in both volumes removed, a sound, good copy with clean interior. (#170005).
Price: $150.00
No statement of printing.