I found this remarkable looking volume last year whilst browsing the ‘Horror’ section in Booth’s Bookshop in Hay On Wye.
Shelf after shelf of identikit Stephen King and Dean Koontz, until – oh my GOD, what the hell is *that?* Clearly I must own it.
In contrast to the slightly deranged outsider art style cover design, it turns out that Vernon Lee (1856 – 1935) was an extremely well-regarded writer in her day, and certainly had some friends in high places, although her work has subsequently been somewhat neglected.
The cover leafs and frontispiece tell you everything you need to know, I think. Click to enlarge;
That Sargent portrait is incredible, isn’t it? A picture worth a thousand words, etc.
Having now read a few of the stories within, I must say I’ve quite enjoyed them. Ms Lee seems to have specialised in refined, vaguely supernatural mystery stories, richly textured with classical allusions, obscure Roman Catholic lore and digressions into Italian history. Clearly about as far removed from the rest of the ‘Horror’ shelves as it’s possible to get, but perfect, relaxing Sunday night reading.
I can't find any significant info online about Wendy Des Moulins, who was responsible for the cover art here.
1 comment:
This is a lovely find, and though a lot of collectors despise library copies, I find the labels and additions only add to the atmosphere - I'm very jealous!
Anyone looking for a definitive modern collection of Lee's erudite, decadent supernatural writing should look no further than this typically thorough and scholarly hardback anthology from Ash-Tree Press
http://www.ash-tree.bc.ca/atp80hauntings.htm
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