LE FANU, Joseph Sheridan. The House by the Church-Yard. In three volumes. Second edition. Tinsley, Brothers. The odd spot. Contemp. half black sheep, marbled boards, raised bands gilt, brown morocco labels; a bit rubbed & worn but still a nice copy. A warm 4pp signed letter from Le Fanu, dated 5 September 1863, from his 18 Merrion Square address. Le Fanu writes to a Mr Macauley: I hope you will accept these volumes I am so happy to send to the old & kind friend whom I remember long ago among those happy scenes which I have chosen for the story... I have to thank you too, again, for the details you were so kind as to give me about the Royal Irish Artillery & which make me feel as if I had seen that fine old corps in its shorts, leggings, cocked hat ruffles pulling their guns up the Chapleizod road. A lovely copy evidently presented to someone influential from Le Fanu's "happy early days, who seems to have helped with some of the finer historical points of this iconic novel. Following the lukewarm reception of Torlogh O'Brien, Le Fanu stopped writing novels for over a decade, in favour of publishing short stories in periodicals, not revisiting the genre until the early 1860s when he published this, one of his most acclaimed works. M.R. James described The House by the Churchyard as 'a book which seems to bring together in a concentrated form all of Le Fanu's best qualities as a story-teller. The author's final Irish-based novel and his last foray into historical fiction, it is set in Chapelizod, the land of his youth. The tale is comprised of interconnected crimes brought to light following the discovery of a human skull with evidence of terrible injuries disappearances, murder, deception, and betrayal weave through years in the small village community. The cast of characters is sprawling, each with their own connections, neuroses, and motivations, and these diverging plots and myriad roles allow Le Fanu to explore different aspects
A Le Fanu on sale at Jarndyce
