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1920. From the Preface: That vision, dominating Mr. Cabell's pages, the record of his revealed idealism, brings specially to Domnei a beauty finely escaping the dusty confusion of any present. It is a book laid in a purity, a serenity, of space above the vapors, the bigotry and engendered spite, of dogma and creed. True to yesterday, it will be faithful of tomorrow; for, in the evolution of humanity, not necessarily the turn of a wheel upward, certain qualities have remained at the center, undisturbed. And, of these, none is more fixed than an abstract love. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

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WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY LOUIS UNTERMEYER ... Read more

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James Branch Cabell (1879-1958) was an American author of fantasy fiction and belles lettres. He worked from 1898 to 1900 as a newpaper reporter in New York City, but returned to Richmond in 1901, where he worked several months on the staff of the Richmond News. In 1902, seven of his first stories appeared in national magazines and over the next decade he wrote many short stories and articles, contributing to nationally published magazines including Harper’s Monthly Magazine and the Saturday Evening Post, as well as carrying out extensive research on his family’s genealogy. In the early 1920s he became the leader of a group of writers known as “The James Branch Cabell School”, which included such figures as H. L. Mencken, Carl Van Vechten and Elinor Wylie. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1937. Amongst his best known works are: The Eagle’s Shadow (1904), The Cords of Vanity: A Comedy of Shirking (1909), and The Rivet in Grandfather’s Neck: A Comedy of Limitations (1915). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Elegant, Amusing, and Provocative
I looked up this book in order to see the talisman that lies at the heart of the story:The Sigil of Scoteia.I turned to the shelves of the Boston Athenaeum and Behold!, there this mysterious treasure lay.The central character of the book, Felix Kennaston, a hapless author, who has a gift for extravagant turns of phrase and fantastic romantic imaginings, is turned into a huge literary success by accidental favorable publicity.He finds the Sigil and it opens new and wondrous vistas to him.

Cabell's Kennaston is ordinary except that he is touched by the fantastic in his flights of imagination.Cabell uses him to point out curious things about our lives:How we are consumed by considerations of the past and future, even of life after death, while the only directly experienced reality is the present moment.How we think our lives would be better if they conformed to ideals set out in stories in books, fiction, literature.

These imaginings both cut Kennaston off from immediate reality and give him a great fulfillment.Indeed, they are the basis for his crowing literary triumph, as the debunking narrator of Kennaston's tale shows the reader.

This is an amusing and delightful book.I see that it is available over the Web (http://www.uwm.edu/~mrdunn/cream.frames/cream1.html), but you should have a copy on paper to really enjoy it.It was published early in the 20th Century and there are many copies floating around.

A great book, and most amusing.I warn you:Do not stare to long or too intently at the Sigil.

JBC's ego (Kennason) confronts his alter-ego (Harrowby)
The pragmatic Richard Fentnor Harrowby, wealthy manufacturer of Harrowby'sCreme Cleopatre and No. 7 Dental Delight, discussed the life and work ofthe author Felix Kennason who rose to fame with the publication of"Men Who Loved Alison."Harrowby's evaluation of Kennason:"At all events, I never quite liked Felix Kennason--not even after Icame to understand that the man I knew in the flesh was a very ill-drawnlikeness of Felix Kennason.After all, that is the whole sardonic point ofhis story--and, indeed, of every human story--that the personyou or Ifind in the mirror is condemned eternally to misrepresent us in the eyes ofour fellows.but even with comprehension, I never cordially liked the man;and so, it may well be that his story is set down not all insympathy."The book begins in Storisende.Count Emmerick hadplanned a wedding feast for La Beale Ettarre, his youngest sister, engagedto marry Guiron des Rocques.Horvendile, a servant of Ettarre, also lovedher, and attempted to sabotage the wedding.He failed, and had to leaveStorisende.Before he departed, Ettarretook the Sigil of Scoteia whichhung around her neck, broke it in half and gave him one of its halves tohim and said, "You will not always abide in your own country,Horvendile. Some day you will return to us at Storisende.The sign of thedark Goddess will prove your safe-conduct then if Guiron and I be yetalive." After he had completed writing his book, Kennason took atwilight walk in the garden of Alcluid, his estate.He spied a shining bitof metal along the pathway and picked it up and put it in his pocket.Themetal was a half of a disk which was three inches in diameter with tinycharacters inscribed upon its surface. That disk enabled Kennason, in hisdreams, to be transformed into Horvendile and transported to many differenttimes and places in which he met Ettarre, but every time he tried to touchher "the universe seemed to fold about him, just as a handcloses."Kennason sought Harrowby's expertise in explaining theoccult aspects of his dreams with ironic results. ... Read more

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GUIDO Am I to be welcomed merely for the sake of my gems? You were more gracious, you were more beautifully like your lovely name, on the fortunate day that I first encountered you ... only six weeks ago, and only yonder, where the path crosses the highway. But now that I esteem myself your friend, you greet me like a stranger. You do not even invite me into your garden. I much prefer the manner in which you told me the way to the inn when I was an unknown passer-by. And yet your pennant promised greeting. ... Read more

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Originally published in 1920.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Fiction / Fantasy / General; Literary Criticism / American / General; ... Read more

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And so the little china people remained together and were thankful for the rivet in grandfather's neckand continued to love each other until they were broken to pieces. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

"Average"(?) Cabell
Cabell in a younger day presents the American manifestation of the geneology of Dom Manuel of Poicteme.A light, "quaint" period piece with only the slyest hint (or foreshadowing (?)) of the "supernatural" and characters that will become the creators of the legend.

Chivalry/Gallantry sited where old times are not forgotten
The title of the book is derived from a fairy tale in which the carved
figure of an unusual looking man on a cupboard door fell in love with
a pretty little china shepherdess who loved a little chimney-sweep
china figure that stood beside her.The carved figure asked the
figure of a Chinaman who could nod his head and claimed to be the
grandfather of the shepherdess if he could marry her.When the
"grandfather" nodded his head in consent, the couple tried
to flee the area by going through the stove and up the chimney to get
into the outside world.But once outside, the shepherdess found the
outside world "too much," so the lovers returned to their
places.When they returned, they found that the Chinaman had fallen
to the floor and had broken into three pieces.The owners of the
Chinaman had him repaired with rivets.However, the rivet in his neck
kept him from nodding. The next time the carved man made his request
to the Chinaman to marry the shepherdess, he no longer could give his
consent, so the lovers remained together until they were broken into
piece.

The story was set in early 1900 Lichfield. Col. Rudolph
Vartrey Musgrave b. 1856, was the unmarried scion of a family that had
settled in the area in the early 17th century.Like all the
inhabitants of Lichfield, Col. Musgrave's public life was governed by
the rules of chivalry while that of his private one was governed by
the rules of gallantry.He spent his time in honorific activities and
doing genealogical research.His life changed drastically when
Patricia Stapylton, his wealthy second cousin, came to visit him and
his sister Agatha before she married an English Earl.After a series
of fortuitous events, the Col. and Patricia were married and had a son
they named Roger.The story is woven around the Musgraves and various
inhabitants of Lichfield and their relationships.Three enduring
themes in these stories are: frustrated youthful love, personal
stagnation, and the hiding or denying of unpleasant social realities.
... Read more

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Originally published in 1916.This volume from the Cornell University Library's print collections was scanned on an APT BookScan and converted to JPG 2000 format by Kirtas Technologies.All titles scanned cover to cover and pages may include marks notations and other marginalia present in the original volume. ... Read more

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The Rivet in Grandfather's Neck. please visit www.valdebooks.com for a full list of titles ... Read more

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1926. Today, some recognize Cabell as one of the first contemporary writers from the South. He is also noted for his unique blending of classic myths and legends with his own imagination and is considered a pioneer of fantasy writing. Contents: A Note on Alcoves; The Way of Wizardry; Minions of the Moon; The Thin Queen of Elfhame; Celestial Architecture; Romantics About Them; Diversions of the Anchorite; The Delta of Radegonde; A Theme with Variations; and Flaws in the Spur. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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James Branch Cabell (1879-1956) is best known for his tales of the imaginary land of Poictesme, where chivalry and galantry live on. All of Cabell's works from before 1930 were assembled into the grand "Biography of the Life of Manuel," the supposed redeemer of the land of Poictesme, and they form a series which follows Manuel and his descendants through the centuries.

Cabell has been a favorite author of many famous writers, ranging from Lin Carter to Robert A. Heinlein. ... Read more

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This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more