L. W. Currey, Inc.

Heyse, Paul. AT THE GHOST HOUR: THE FAIR ABIGAIL [with] AT THE GHOST HOUR: THE FOREST LAUGH [with] AT THE GHOST HOUR: THE HOUSE OF THE UNBELIEVING THOMAS [with] AT THE GHOST HOUR: MID-DAY MAGIC. Translated from the German ... by Frances A. van Santford. New York: Dodd, Mead & Company, MCCCXCIV [1894]. Small octavo, four volumes; pp. [1-4] 5-72 [73-74: blank]; [1-4] [1] 2-60 [61-62: blank]; pp. [1-2] [1] 2- 96,[1-4] [1] 2-84 [85-86: blank], decorations by Alice C. Morse, title pages printed in red and black, publisher's decorated translucent cloth printed in red and black over plain boards. First U.S. editions. A complete set of the four short stories published as AT THE GHOST HOUR. "Their popularity with American readers makes them outstanding examples of Gothic imports and translations. THE FAIR ABIGAIL is a vampire tale using the aftermath of the Franco-Prussian War for its historical setting. THE FOREST LAUGH deals with the hauntings of the ghost of a crippled boy. Perhaps the superior Gothic book is MID-DAY MAGIC, the sensitive story of the ghostly child, Little Lisbeth, who is killed trying to save a pet rabbit from a dog, then returns as a ghostly protector of helpless animals" (Frank). The "At the Ghost Hour" books are particularly fragile because of the way the bindings were done. The images are not stamped on the cloth. They are printed on translucent paper which was then adhered to the cloth, giving the images a faint ghostly appearance. The bindings almost always appear to be faded or sunned. The decorated bindings and interior illustrations were made by Alice C. Morse, an important figure in book binding design. Frank, Through the Pale Door: A Guide To and Through the American Gothic 212. Belier (1978), p. 99. Reginald lists one of the stories in this series, "The House of the Unbelieving Thomas." Cover illustrations faded to various degrees, a very good set overall. The four books were issued in a box which is not present. All the Heyse books in this series are scarce and complete sets are rare. (#174570).

Price: $1,750.00