BOOK DETAILS
ISBN: 1943910049 ISBN-13: 978-1943910045 $17.99 US, 208pp. Trade paper Published 2015 |
November Night Tales (1928)
Henry C. Mercer With a new introduction by Cory M. Amsler Book Description
Towards the end of his life, the eccentric archaeologist, historian, architect, and collector Henry Chapman Mercer (1856-1930) channeled his antiquarian interests and his love of Gothic literature into November Night Tales (1928), a volume of highly imaginative weird tales in the mode of M.R. James. In "Castle Valley," unexpected consequences ensue when an artist gazes into an old crystal and sees visions of a Gothic castle. In "The Blackbirds," a flock of vultures may portend an ominous fate for a young man who has been warned that calamity will befall him on his birthday. "The Dolls' Castle" is a sinister place with a dark past that lays supernatural snares to catch unwary children. And in "The Wolf Book," a scholar visits a Transylvanian monastery where he discovers a mysterious manuscript that may be connected with a legendary werewolf. This first-ever republication of Mercer's tales includes all six stories from the scarce first edition, plus an additional rare story, "The Well of Monte Corbo," discovered among Mercer's papers after his death, and a new introduction by Cory M. Amsler of the Mercer Museum. |
reviews
‘Fermenting with surprises.’ – Chicago News
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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY
Henry Chapman Mercer was born in 1856 to a well-to-do family in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. As a young man he travelled in Europe and attended Harvard University from 1875 to 1879. Afterwards, he studied law and was admitted to the bar but never practiced, returning to Europe to travel extensively across the continent.
A longstanding interest in art and history led Mercer to become a founding member of the Bucks County Historical Society in 1880. Following further travels abroad, Mercer was invited to join the archaeological department of the Museum of Science and Art at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (later the University Museum). In 1894, the museum appointed him Curator of American and Prehistoric Archaeology, a position that enabled him to lead various expeditions seeking evidence of early human habitation in the Americas.
Eventually returning to Doylestown, Mercer shifted his focus away from prehistoric archaeology. He became convinced that the rapid pace of industrialization was destroying earlier modes of labor and craft traditions. He turned his attention to collecting pre-industrial hand tools and objects of hand craft, forming a seminal collection which he initially called, “The Tools of the Nation Maker.”
A portion of his collection focused on early pottery, particularly that of the early German settlers in southeastern Pennsylvania. To help keep the potting tradition alive, he would go on to found the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in 1898. This building, made of reinforced concrete, still stands, along with his home, Fonthill Castle, and the Mercer Museum, all of which are now tourist attractions in Doylestown.
Towards the end of his life, Mercer published November Night Tales (1928), a collection of stories reflecting his lifelong interest in history and archaeology, his appreciation for castles and gothic fiction, and his Romantic imagination. Mercer died at home in Doylestown in 1930.
A longstanding interest in art and history led Mercer to become a founding member of the Bucks County Historical Society in 1880. Following further travels abroad, Mercer was invited to join the archaeological department of the Museum of Science and Art at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (later the University Museum). In 1894, the museum appointed him Curator of American and Prehistoric Archaeology, a position that enabled him to lead various expeditions seeking evidence of early human habitation in the Americas.
Eventually returning to Doylestown, Mercer shifted his focus away from prehistoric archaeology. He became convinced that the rapid pace of industrialization was destroying earlier modes of labor and craft traditions. He turned his attention to collecting pre-industrial hand tools and objects of hand craft, forming a seminal collection which he initially called, “The Tools of the Nation Maker.”
A portion of his collection focused on early pottery, particularly that of the early German settlers in southeastern Pennsylvania. To help keep the potting tradition alive, he would go on to found the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works in 1898. This building, made of reinforced concrete, still stands, along with his home, Fonthill Castle, and the Mercer Museum, all of which are now tourist attractions in Doylestown.
Towards the end of his life, Mercer published November Night Tales (1928), a collection of stories reflecting his lifelong interest in history and archaeology, his appreciation for castles and gothic fiction, and his Romantic imagination. Mercer died at home in Doylestown in 1930.