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ASHLEY, Mike. [Algernon BLACKWOOD] : Starlight Man. The Extraordinary Life of Algernon Blackwood

2001

Constable. London. 2001. First edition. DW. Pages slightly browned with foxing to outer edges and a green cross to bottom outer edge otherwise a clean and sound copy in a slightly used wrapper.

ASHLEY**, MIKE: : Starlight Man: The Extraordinary Life of ALGERNON BLACKWOOD

LONDON.CONSTABLE,2001.

ISBN 9781841572406.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.FINE+/FINE.No owner inscrptn and no price-clip to dw/dj.Bright, crisp,clean,glossy laminated,subject's b/w portrait photographic illustrated dw/dj panels, with blue+white lettering; with negligible shelf-wear and creasing to edges and corners - no nicks or tears present.Head of spine/ backstrip of dw/dj,minimally bumped with reciprocal creasing and some very light,minimal, superficial scoring/impressions to both panels of dw/dj - boards beneath unaffected.Top+fore-edges bright and clean; contents bright,tight, clean - pristine - no dog-ear reading creases to any pages' corners,would appear unread apart from my own collation.Bright,crisp,clean,sharp-cornered,publisher's original plain dark blue cloth boards with bright,crisp,blocked silver gilt letters to spine/backstrip and immaculate plain white eps.UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn,vi-xviiipp+2-395pp [paginated] includes separate contents+illus lists/tables,acknowledgements,an author introduction,20 chapters,12pp b/w contemporary auto+biographical photographs in 1 block,between pp174/5,notes and references, appendix (Blackwood's Family Trees),Blackwood's books+stories,biblio and an index.Plus [unpaginated] half-title+title pages,and 2pp blanks at rear. Algernon Blackwood was one of the greatest writers of supernatural fiction of the 20thC - Dion Fortune described him as 'pre-eminent among the writers of occult fiction' - yet he remains a mysterious figure.An indefatigable traveller,an undercover agent during the First World War,a Searcher for the Red Cross,he was also an extremely popular storyteller on radio and television - indeed,he appeared on the first ever television programme. He originated the play,'The Starlight Express', was a member of the magical order of the Golden Dawn,and was acquainted with most of the literary and artistic establishment of his day from Hilaire Belloc to Arthur Machen,from Sinclair Lewis to H.G. Wells. Blackwood revealed that all his stories were based on personal experiences or those of his close friends.This from the man whose stories take us to a lonely island in the River Danube where two travellers face the cosmic powers of the Earth in all their might; and deep into the deserts of Egypt where a lone man witnesses the spirit of the ancient past rise up like a gigantic wall of sand.H.P. Lovecraft said of him,'Of the quality of Mr Blackwood's genius there can be no dispute; for no one has even approached the skill,seriousness and minute fidelity with which he records the overtones of strangeness in ordinary things and experiences . . .' In the 1920's,he published an autobiography.But as its title suggests - 'Episodes Before Thirty' - it covers only the period up to 1899 and it ends,'Of mystical,psychic or so-called "occult" experiences,I have purposely said nothing'.But there was much to be said. Mike Ashley has been researching Blackwood's life for more than twenty years and has discovered a wonderfully complex character - a profound mystic,a delightful storyteller,an innocent child,a wild adventurer,and a remarkable man.Now, on the fiftieth anniversary of his death (then 2001),his full biography is available for the first time and reveals the inside story on this most mystical and magical of men. Please contact seller,because of the weight and the value of this item,for correct,insured shipping/P+p quotes - particularly ALL overseas buyers - BEFORE ordering through the order page! ** N.B. ALL buyers please note,stocks' actual shipping/P+p costs are adjusted and any difference is refunded,after order's receipt and before the order's despatch,especially if the item(s) are offered either P+p included/FREE. ** N.B. US/CANADA customers please be aware: Standard AIR postage from UK to these destinations can now cost more than the price of the book! If speed is not of the essence,then Economy rate is recommended - at approx. 1/2 to 2/3rds of standard US AIR quote/rate - sometimes arriving long before the quoted 42 days - but not always.

UK,8vo HB+dw/dj,1st edn.
Not SIGNED.

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