THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF A QUACK AND THE CASE OF GEORGE DEDLOW ...
New York: The Century Co., 1900. Octavo, pp. [i-viii] ix-x [xi-xx] 1-149 [150-152: blank] [note: last leaf is a blank], eight inserted plates with illustrations by A. J. Keller, original decorated blue-green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold, t.e.g., fore-edge untrimmed, bottom edge rough trimmed. First edition, first binding. Collects two stories. The first printing of the novelette version of "The Autobiography of a Quack," first published anonymously in the ATLANTIC MONTHLY in October and November, 1867. "It was a realistic account of the devices by which a dishonest and ignorant physician proceeds, and it gave a veracious picture of the seamy side of life in Philadelphia and other large cities. Homeopathy, spiritualism and other pet aversions of the orthodox physician were treated in a humorous way, and the cold-blooded manner in which the quack tells his story made it a successful piece of irony." - Quinn, American Fiction, p. 311. "The Case of George Dedlow," Mitchell's first published story, was published anonymously and without his knowledge in the ATLANTIC MONTHLY in July, 1866. It is largely a realistic story of the feelings, both physical and mental, of an army surgeon who lost both arms and legs in a battle which occurred during the American Civil War. The satire becomes clear at the end when Dedlow is briefly united with his legs during a spiritualistic seance. Some readers missed the point and, according to Mitchell, "the spiritual incident at the end of the story was received with joy by the spiritualists as a valuable proof of the truth of their beliefs." Wright (III) 3777. BAL 14192. A fine copy. (20048). Item #20048
Price: $45.00