THE DEVIL IN THE PULPIT. London: Dennis Archer, n.d. [1932]. Octavo, pp. [1-4] 5-286 [287-288: blank], publisher's brown cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold, top edge stained gray. First edition, first binding. A novel of possession. "David Martin, a priggish young clergyman with a vivacious wife, becomes the new pastor of Gloomsdale, a dull backwater whose only interesting feature is the Cave of the Devil Rock, whose eponymous feature seems more like a statue. It is certainly uncanny-looking and is said to exercise a baleful influence on all who see it. David, we learn later, is instantly bewitched by it and takes up a hidden career of murder, all the while thinking he is doing the Lord's work. Sexual tension with the dashing young Mr. Devellayne complicates matters, which are brought to a head by the pastor's decision to dynamite the Rock, killing himself in the process. Typical O'Donnell -- long on pulp, short on juice." - Robert Eldridge. Reginald 10918. Not in Bleiler (1948; 1978). Not in Wilson. Cloth spotted, gold stamping on spine panel dull, a sound, good copy. (#171421).
Price: $100.00
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