Roe, J. R. Nehushtan: A Romance of Rome, Rule and Ruin. St. Louis: Christian Publishing Company, 1894. First edition. Octavo, pp. [1-10] 11-385 [386: blank] [note: fly leaf at front]. Original gray-green pictorial cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold and blind. Moderate wear at spine ends and corner tips, otherwise nice enough; a good copy overall of a rare book. #957. $150. An anti-Catholic screed that heaps long discursive passages onto a contemporary melodrama. Of some minor interest is the description near the novel's end of a theatrical production that reproduces significant scenes from the Bible (in this version the forbidden apple in Eden was an aphrodisiac). The play is titled "Nehushtan," the Hebrew name for the brazen serpent set up as an idol by King Ahaz. A lengthy description of the play, filled with apocalyptic imagery and eccentric hermeneutics, almost brings the novel into the outskirts of utopian/dystopian literature. The hysterical incoherence of the book rises at times to hallucinatory proportions, well represented by the allegorical scene stamped in gilt on the front cover: a column of soldiers bearing the banner of the A.P.A. (American Patriotic Association) approaches a man who is chopping down a tree from which flies an American flag embellished with an image of a church and a school, while a bald eagle perches atop the leafless tree; looking on, with a skull-and-crossbones on his vestments, is the pope.

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Bibliographic Details

Title: Nehushtan
Publisher: Christian Publishing Company
Publication Date: 1894
Binding: Hardcover
Edition: 1st Edition
Condition: Good
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket

Store Description

When I began my bookselling business in 1996 I called it "Eldritch Books" because that adjective at least partly covered the type of material I offered (and because its similarity to my own surname seemed so -- eldritch). "Ghost stories" would be another handy, if somewhat reductive, term. Most of it is fiction from the 19th and early 20th century with a strong emphasis on the fantastic. Since the most familiar and relevant genre terms in use today -- "science fiction," "fantasy," "supernatural," "horror" -- were not so much in use when these books were first published, pegging them that way can be anachronistic. But that should give you the general idea. I don't have much in the way of American pulp (either in magazine or specialty press book form) but otherwise my interests range widely from high-brow to middle-brow to low-brow to amateur/eccentric. You're more likely to find rare and obscure works here than high spots. (Or at least they're obscure now, whatever their status was when first published.) In 2001 I went to work for L. W. Currey as cataloguer and general assistant. Since 2014 I've been back working on my own. I have exhibited at convention fairs (such as WFC and Readercon) in the past. I began collecting and studying antiquarian fantasy around 1980. Some of my essays have appeared in genre publications such as NYRSF, Wormwood and F&SF. I tend to carefully research my inventory and write extensive notes. (If another dealer wishes to make use of any of these notes, I'd appreciate the courtesy of putting such excerpts in quotes and giving proper attribution to me. That's what I do when I quote from any of my reference works.) I will be gradually listing my inventory on ABE over the coming years. I hope you find something of interest.

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Robert Eldridge, Bookseller
NY, U.S.A.

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