THE LOVE CLINIC . Translated . by F. M. Atkinson

Dekobra, Maurice (pseudonym of Ernest Maurice Tessier)

Editore: Payson & Clarke Ltd, New York, 1929

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Octavo, pp. [1-7] 8-286 [287: colophon] [288: blank], original patterned board with black cloth shelf back, spine panel stamped in gold, top edge stained black. First edition in English. A translation of FLAMMES DE VELOURS (Paris, 1927). "Phillipe Jacquemod, an embassy secretary, is engaged by Martha de Retzky to track down her younger sister Lila who mysteriously disappears from a Viennese nightclub. Jacquemod's investigations lead him to the Chateau d'Orlik, an isolated sanatorium in Bohemia run by Dr. Hugo Schomberg, a mesmerist whose clientele consists entirely of wealthy women who have suffered cruelly at the hands of their lovers. Schomberg, who is an incredibly powerful mesmerist, is determined to free his patients from the tyranny of romantic love so that they will never again be at the mercy of unscrupulous men. His unorthodox treatment extends to having his patients dress like famous courtesans from history whose personalities best match theirs, including Cleopatra, Lola Montez, and Catherine the Great. In addition to Schomberg s hypnotic powers, the supernatural plays a small role in the novel in the form of Ahirman, a Siamese cat who is clairvoyant and functions as a familiar to Schomberg, reading his patients minds and communicating their thoughts to him. The first half of THE LOVE CLINIC, which consists of Jacqumod s investigations and an intricate game of cat and mouse between himself and Schomberg at the Chateau d'Orlik is marvelous; the writing is crisp, the novel is quite funny, and the atmosphere is uniquely weird. The second half of THE LOVE CLINIC, however, is disappointing. As Jacquemod and Lila flee from Schomberg into Northern Africa, the novel deteriorates into a conventional romantic thriller, and the fantastic elements all but disappear. When THE LOVE CLINIC was originally published, DeKobra was one of the most well known French novelists between the World Wars, highly regarded for witty subversive works such as THE WANTON VENUS and THE MADONNA OF THE SLEEPING CARS, several of which were made into successful films. Today, Dekobra is virtually forgotten. THE LOVE CLINIC is referenced in the entry for "Hypnosis" in Brian Stableford s Science Fact and Fiction: An Encyclopedia (Routledge, 2006)." - Boyd White. Corner tips rubbed, top edge stain rubbed, a very good copy in good pictorial dust jacket (designed by Claudine Nankivel) with chips from upper spine end and three corners and large chip (35x85 mm) from the center of the spine panel. OCLC reports one copy; no copies reported by COPAC. (#156983).

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• Titolo: THE LOVE CLINIC . Translated . by F. M. Atkinson
• Editore: Payson & Clarke Ltd, New York
• Data di pubblicazione: 1929
• Rilegatura: Rilegato
• Edizione: prima edizione
• Condizione della sovraccoperta: sovraccoperta
• Cataloghi dei venditori:
  • Mystery & Crime