John Holmes - Cover art for The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce Vol.1, 1971

Marbled Monday

This marbled Monday we're sharing the devilishly delightful book The Devil's Dictionary by American short story writer, poet, and journalist Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?). A widely influential writer of many sorts, Bierce disappeared in Mexico in 1913, so the actual date and circumstances of his death are unknown. The Devil's Dictionary is a satirical dictionary consisting of humorous definitions and is considered one of the best pieces of satirical humor to come out of the United States.

This edition was published in 1972 by the Limited Editions Club and features woodcut illustrations and devilish ornaments by German artist Fritz Kredel (1900-1973). The marbled paper used for the endpapers and the slipcase are patterned using a fantasy design in red and black that is described as a "harmonizing flame pattern" in the prospectus. Our copy is from the collection of Austin Frederic Lutter and includes his bookplate.

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-- Alice, Special Collections Department Manager

Book haul at HPB

First, here's a pic of everything.

Here, you can see each of the P. G. Wodehouse titles I got. Never bought Jeeves and Wooster books before, but this should be a great read. The BBC series was hilarious, what I recall seeing when I was a kid. Always adored Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry; in fact, I already have books written by them, too. Also got a couple Jane Austen titles and a Fyodor Dostoevsky that are part of a special edition series.

Then I got a bunch of books in this gorgeous special edition collection by Chiltern Publishing. I already had Jane Eyre and a couple other titles in this series, so I hope I don't have any extra copies of anything. I don't think so, but I'll have to unbox my books to find out for sure. I'm a bit worried that I might already have a copy of Wuthering Heights....

And then these books that are more random. I already had books 1 and 2 of Parasyte, so now I also have book 3. Then I already had Baking Yesteryear by B. Dylan Hollis, but this is a signed copy! The Philip Pullman book is a collection of his essays about the writing process. The Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce is considered by some to be one of the 100 greatest masterpieces of American literature. And then Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is the one book I actually went there for. 😅 Too bad they didn't have a pretty copy, but that's ok. Maybe Chiltern will release one later. 🤔

“Education: That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.”

— Ambrose Bierce

Future. That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured.

-- Ambrose Bierce

(Brussels, Belgium)

Review: "Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic"

Authors: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Arthur Conan Doyle, Lucy H. Hooper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, H. G. Wells, Edmond Nolcini, M. R. James, Ambrose Bierce, Howard R. Garis, William Hope Hodgson, Edith Nesbit, H. C. McNeile, Abraham Meritt, Emma Vane

Editor: Daisy Butcher

Date: 03/01/2023

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

________________________________________________________

I think I ordered this book some time during summer, after I accidentally stumbled upon it on an online bookstore. I love anthologies and I love plants, so this title definitely intrigued me enough to order it. I finally decided to read it around Christmas and finished it during a recent trip, so it's officially my first finished book of the year.

"Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic" is an interesting anthology of short horror stories by quite a few well-known authors. From the creator of Sherlock Holmes, to the acclaimed writer of "The Yellow Wallpaper", all the way to the legendary H. G. Wells, this collections features some hidden gems of the late 19th and early 20th century. While the stories are certainly old-school, they could still be regarded as timeless classics and masterful creations.

Most stories revolve around the fascination of the exotic - of unknown plants that are in some way dangerous to humans (or other organisms) and which originate from far away places, like South America. There's mentions of exquisite poisonous flowers, murderous liana, mysterious wisteria, and the weirdest of them all - carnivorous plants.

It is interesting just how much the writers and, by default, the general public were fascinated by exotic flora which, in one way or another, transcended the known laws of nature. Plants were considered sedentary, passive, and at the bottom of the food chain, but as new discoveries were being presented and as more people, professionals and amateurs alike, from the western civilization started their expeditions in new places, society was being introduced with oddities that seemingly didn't follow any established rules. So while the horror in this collection is displayed through various flora, the true horror is derived from the simple fact that humans fear what they cannot understand. One of the most frightening things a person, especially a scientist, can experience is realizing that they will never be able to fully predict nature's capability to adapt and to evolve.

Of course, this theme goes hand in hand with the understanding that it is dangerous altering the natural order of things. While this could also be understood as criticism to the human tendency to play god, there isn't much religious commentary throughout the collection. The stories are centered around ecology, evolution, and biology, highlighting how humans shouldn't meddle with something as powerful as nature - which they will never fully understand, let alone be able to control. Even though the writers do create a feeling of dread through the fear of nature, the horror is actually realized through characters that underestimate its abilities and that have the need to disfigure nature in order to measure their own capabilities.

Furthermore, this collection highlights the uncomfortable fascination western civilization had with other cultures. The urge to study new exotic phenomena on their own accord, to test the limits of human science on something they don't fully understand with little to no regard of the laws of nature and the test subject's true needs, is somewhat perverse. These scientists are conducting experiments in uncontrolled environments, and playing with their test-subjects in order to test their own abilities and knowledge. It is a portrayal of poor research. They're acting out of curiosity with little to no regard of the consequences. It is not their subjects that are evil, for they have been brought up and mistreated in an environment completely unnatural to their habitat, but their tormentor, who butchers them through extreme studies. This is usually evident through a secondary character, most often a colleague, who tries to stop the scientist in their mad experiment before it's too late. The horror is, therefore, found in the abuse executed by the brazen oppressor, not in their vicious, abnormal creations.

The fact that the aforementioned themes barely scratch the surface of all the ideas featured in this collection, prove how layered and compelling all the featured stories are. The editor also did a marvelous job with a lovely foreword and an intriguing introduction to each of the authors and their respective work. Of course, as with every short story collection, not all works are equally strong, but "Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic" is still a gorgeous anthology and a noteworthy testament to a relatively overlooked category of horror.

Romance (N.) from Ambrose Bierce # 3, 1962

Photo: Ralph Eugene Meatyard

CANNIBAL, n. A gastronome of the old school who preserves the simple tastes and adheres to the natural diet of the pre-pork period.

Ambrose Bierce. The Devil's Dictionary.

In Carcosa

Conservative (noun):

A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from the Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.

— Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary (1911)

Logic (lä-jik): The art of thinking and reasoning in strict accordance with the limitations and incapacities of the human misunderstanding. - Ambrose Bierce, The Devil´s Dictionary

Hence the custom among the Scythians of plucking out a cynic's eyes to improve his vision.

Ambrose Bierce ~ The Devil's Dictionary, 1911

Ipocrita (s. m.) Dicesi di persona che, professando virtù che non rispetta, si procura il vantaggio di trasformarsi, agli occhi di tutti, in ciò che più disprezza.

Ambrose Bierce - Dizionario del Diavolo

Devil's Dictionary - Ambrose Bierce

DAWN, n. The time when men of reason go to bed. Certain old men prefer to rise at about that time, taking a cold bath and a long walk with an empty stomach, and otherwise mortifying the flesh.

They then point with pride to these practices as the cause of their sturdy health and ripe years; the truth being that they are hearty and old, not because of their habits, but in spite of them.

The reason we find only robust persons doing this thing is that it has killed all the others who have tried it.

Me while reading it "I need to read King In Yellow! I want to see scenes of this illustrated!"

Me now: "I need to read more fic about Jonathan and Mina's love 🙃🙃🙃 Just that or while they're fighting more bad guys and monsters"

But I still want the first part too lol

The King in Yellow short stories can be read here

Ambrose Bierce's (earlier!) short story, "An Inhabitant of Carcosa," can be read here

Aaand my personal favorite short story of Algernon Blackwood's, from which [SPOILER CHARACTER] takes a jab at [LOVECRAFTIAN SPOILER CHARACTER] for being unoriginal in his secret machinations and inflicting otherworldly Knowledge That Seeds Madness, is "The Man Who Found Out," available here*

*(Pour one out for Professor Mark Ebor, my most beloved and underrated nice old man blorbo)

As to Jonathan and Mina being loving and lovingly kicking evil's ass, you will just have to wait for @mayhemchicken-artblog's comic c:

When God makes a beautiful woman,

the devil opens a new register.

(Ambrose Bierce)