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Estimate: $ 700 - $ 900
Beckford, William (1760-1844) An Arabian Tale, from an Unpublished Manuscript: With Notes Critical and Explanatory.
London: Printed for J. Johnson, 1786.
First English edition, octavo, with the errata leaf, lacking final ?blank; illustrated with text woodcuts of fans (page 316); finely bound in 19th century calf with gilt tooled spine and ruled boards, front board detached; aeg.; 7 3/4 x 4 3/4 in.
ESTC T62055.
Beckford's work, also entitled Vathek, was originally written in French, and is a Gothic novel. The first French edition was published in 1782, when Beckford was only twenty-one years old. Samuel Henley (1740-1815) translated it into English. An interest in Middle Eastern literature and motifs took hold of the English literary scene during the late 18th and early 19th century. Those who specifically cite the importance of Vathek and its inspiration include Byron, Poe, Mallarmé, Lovecraft, H.G. Wells among others. The titular character is a power-hungry Faustian Caliph who conspires with his occult-leaning mother to master the evil forces of hell.
