The Subjugated Beast

First UK Edition. Publisher's orange boards with black lettering to the front board and spine. 312 pages + 8 page catalogue to the rear. Quite heavy foxing to the top edge of the text block, penetrating up to 0.5cm internally. The fore edge suffers too but to a lesser extent. The first and last few pages are also foxed as is the title page (albeit lightly). Corners lightly rubbed, cloth lightly marked otherwise a VG+ bright, clean, vibrant, firm and sound copy which, on a liberal view, is good enough to take a dustwrapper. No fraying. No inscriptions. Looks nicer than it sounds. The identity of R R Ryan is still hotly debated. "James Doing over at Wormwoodiana feels he has conclusive proof that Ryan was the author and theatre producer Mr. Evelyn Bradley (1882-1950). But in the introduction to the new edition of Beast, John Pelan puts forth his thesis that Ryan was Denice Jeanette Bradley-Ryan, who published several books of her own. Pelan offers family memories from Bradley's grandson as proof. James Doing brings up actual book contracts and a death notice which states: "Evelyn BRADLEY otherwise Rex RYAN" as his smoking gun (GoodReads). These works were ahead of their time, and went largely unappreciated until the 1980s when Karl Edward Wagner included three R R Ryan titles (including this title at # 13) in his well-known list of best Non-Supernatural Horror novels for Twilight Zone Magazine. The three listings is more than any other author. The R R Ryan books are now regarded as classics of the type and their UK first editions are highly sought-after. A diet of raw meat and a programme of hypnotherapy slowly transforms a kindly wife into something less than kindly. Her brilliant and psychotic scientist husband carefully studies the effects he has created. Their niece attempts to intervene, much to her misfortune. NB: this is the "true" UK first edition and not a re-issue. Looks very smart in its acetate protector. Photographs/scans available upon request.…