Fern Seed

Rideout, Henry Milner

Published by Duffield, 1921

About this Item

Rideout, Henry Milner. Fern Seed. New York: Duffield and Company, 1921. First edition. Octavo, [1-6] [1-2] 3-199 [200-202: blank]. Original green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold. A fine copy of a surprisingly uncommon book. #1833. $75. This short novel is an adventure story set mostly in England with a back-story in the Mysterious East (or Middle East, more exactly) to liven things up. The first third of the story builds up an atmosphere of the macabre and mysterious. The hero keeps being mistaken for someone else -- or is he someone else? What's going on? The story at that point could have gone in many curious directions. Instead, the author chooses the safe, well-worn one. A rich American cousin is visiting his ancestral home in England and becomes entangled in the espionage affairs of his English cousin, whom he closely resembles. And there's a love sub-plot, of course. Although the author was American (from rural Maine) he reveals the sort of craven Anglophilia found in some minor 19th-century American popular fiction. Indeed, the novel almost feels like a routine Victorian novel written by an English author, with its reflexive distrust of foreigners, and glorification of English folkways; with a plot driven by a case of mistaken-identity and embracing social values that emphasize reticence and gentility. To cap it off, the climax turns on the discovery of a . LOST WILL! After a few more narrative curlicues, the story ends up with the American hero nobly renouncing his legal claim in order to repair the squandered fortunes of the English branch of the family. It all sounds like the sort of squish written by craven Yanks and envious Brits long, long ago. Did the author discover the manuscript of this novel in some hidden cupboard in a worm-eaten wainscot? It rambles along, flashing a well-turned phrase now and then. The author doesn't have much to say but takes pains to say it impressively. We get a thin gruel served in a highly polished tureen. To be fair, this fault is found in much American fiction of the inter-war period, when too many writers paid more attention to manner than matter, as if they had suddenly grown very self-conscious and wanted to take pains to not appear too gauche, too obvious, too -- American! Fern seed has long been connected in English folklore with witchcraft. The author is not without writing skills, but he held the seeds of a bewitching novel in his hands for a while, then put them away and planted dandelion seeds instead. Seller Inventory # 1833

Bibliographic Details

Title: Fern Seed

Publisher: Duffield

Publication Date: 1921

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Fine

Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket

Edition: 1st Edition