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"May blessings be upon the head of Cadmus, the Phoenicians, or whoever it was that invented books." -Thomas Carlyle

Welcome to my virtual book collection. Since collecting actual books is somewhat cost-prohibitive, I've begun to amass all of the books I would love to have if I had the means. Some are new, lots are old, all are unique or beautiful or unusual or in some other way have captured my fancy. Enjoy browsing!

Special Collections: Fine Bindings ~ Fairies and Fairy Tales ~ Terror and Madness ~ Poetry ~ Food, Drink and Apothecary ~ Science Fiction ~ Illuminations, Lettering and Hand-Coloring ~ Magic ~ Supernatural and Occult ~ Alchemy ~ Science and Technical ~ Maritime ~ Costumes ~ Humor ~ Children's books ~ Legend of King Arthur ~ Americana ~ 18th Century ~ 19th Century

Authors and illustrators: Edgar Allan Poe ~ Jules Verne ~ Edmund Dulac ~ Kay Nielsen ~ Arthur Rackham ~ Edward Gorey ~ Charles Dickens ~ H.P. Lovecraft ~ William Hope Hodgson ~ Mark Twain ~ Lewis Carroll ~ Salvador Dali ~ George Cruikshank ~ Emily Dickinson ~ Geoffrey Chaucer ~ H.G. Wells

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POE, Edgar Allan. Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Illustrated by Arthur Rackham. London: George G. Harrap & Co., Ltd., 1935. Quarto, original full vellum gilt.

Signed limited first edition, number 322 of 460 copies signed by illustrator Arthur Rackham. With twelve mounted color plates, seventeen black and white plates, numerous in-text drawings, and wonderfully frightening decorated endpapers. Included among the 25 Poe tales are such classics as The Tell-Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Purloined Letter. Without original slipcase. A fine copy, rare in this condition.

Illustration from The Pit and the Pendulum: