Figures of Earth, The Silver Stallion, Domnei, Jurgen, The
High Place, Something About Eve, and The Cream of the Jest, by James Branch
Cabell.
The first Cabell book I read was “The Silver Stallion” in my
junior year (I remember asking Mrs. Hardcastle what a word meant – not in the
class dictionary) of high school, followed by “The Cream of the Jest” soon
after, then the other Del Rey Fantasy Classics as I could find them. I wasn’t
too fond of the Howard Koslow covers, but the interior pictures by Frank C.
Pape are so perfect. Has a map, too. Then I found the Avon edition of “Jurgen”
at Half’s, with its naked ladies on the cover and the blurbs screaming “erotic
classic” in an effort to sell this pale old fantasy to 1960’s hipsters. I had
to take it up to Captain Armstrong and shamefacedly buy it (I couldn’t find
another copy anywhere). I’ve since got hardbacked copies of these (except for
Jurgen) with all the illustrations in it, so I suppose that if I had to, I
could part with these. The Avon book has peculiarly rounded edges on the right hand corners.
Ranking: Keepers.
File Code: Fantasy. Novel. Paperback.
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