The Anatomy of Tobacco:
Or Smoking Methodised, Divided, and Considered After a New Fashion.
[London]: George Redway, 1884 Stock Code: 135987
First edition of Machen's first book, "an imitation of Robert Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy (1621), addressing the pleasure of smoking" (Denisoff), after which his publisher hired him as a sub-editor, and later cataloguer.
Machen had published a poem, Eleusinia, in 1881 when he moved to London and was "trying unsuccessfully to enter journalism. Living in poverty, he wrote while variously employed as a tutor, publishers' clerk, and cataloguer of occult books" (ODNB). Machen is best known for his influential supernatural, fantasy, and horror fiction. As one of his earliest and non-fiction works, The Anatomy of Tobacco stands aside.
Description
Octavo (195 x 129 mm). 20th-century off white parchment paper, titles in red to spine and front board, untrimmed, grey endpapers.
Illustrations
In-text diagrams, 2 pp. publisher's advertisements at end.
Condition
Spine titles faded, boards a little soiled and foxed, light toning to title page; else a clean and very good copy indeed.
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