THE SORCERESS: THE TALE OF A VAMP .

Sandys, Oliver (pseudonym of Florence L. Barclay)

Published by Hurst & Blackett, [London], 1927

Octavo, pp. [1-4] 5-284, publisher's red cloth, front and spine panels stamped in black and blind. First edition. "The vamp of the title is Carla Roberts, an example of the Roaring Twenties flapper, a beautiful actress, amoral and selfish, who wraps men around her finger for fun. She relishes her power to get what she wants (and to hex others) by wishing for it. She sometimes believes herself to be the reincarnation of a witch -- she is deathly afraid of fire even when she is cold -- and refers to her unnaturally old black cat, Diavolo, as her familiar. The cat's accidental death by a speeding car immediately precedes Carla's own death when the car smashes. The death of Carla removes the impediment of 'the other woman' who had come between the wholesome, long-maturing courtship of the book's hero and heroine, Nick and Gwen. In the third chapter, a gipsy's predictions for the two of them establishes an uncanny mood for the novel and turns out to be quite accurate. A dash of attempted murder-by-poisoning is thrown in near the end for good measure. It's perhaps understandable that a novel that even approaches such flammable subject matter was issued under a pseudonym (and posthumously -- the author died in 1920). Barclay, a sincerely religious woman who apparently also had psychic gifts, was best known for THE ROSARY (1909), a pietistic work that sold over a million copies, all of whose profits were donated to charity. She also wrote, under her own name, two other novels with supernatural content." - Robert Eldridge. Bleiler (1978), p. 174. Spine lean, a tight, clean, very good copy. (#171145). Seller Inventory # 171145

Bibliographic Details

Title: THE SORCERESS: THE TALE OF A VAMP .
Publisher: Hurst & Blackett, [London]
Publication Date: 1927
Binding: Soft cover
Edition: 1st Edition