299

Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810)

Wieland; or the Transformation, An American Tale.

New York: Printed by T. and J. Swords for H. Caritat, 1798.
First edition, 12mo; modern three-quarter green morocco, spine gilt lettered (inked ownership inscription to title, toning and staining, some very pale foxing, a handful of tears, two barely affecting text; rubbing at board edges, spine a touch darkened, endpapers toned); 6 ¾ x 3 ¾ in.

The grisly tale of a Revolutionary War-era family annihilator, Brown's Wieland is generally identified as America's first gothic novel. With themes of religious fanaticism, mental illness (with paranoia and aspects of schizophrenia), a malevolent stranger who uses ventriloquism to manipulate and deceive his victims, and a tale of forbidden love, this story has everything.

BAL 1496; ESTC W8124; Evans 33461.

From the collection of Joseph V. Ridgely, Professor Emeritus of English at Columbia University.

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