Well, how could I resist? I adore Jerome Kern. And he was quite a book collector.

The book is Edward Bulwer Lytton’s Pilgrims of the Rhine (London: Saunders and Otley 1834) with a deluxe binding in crushed brown morocco by Rivière. Tipped in is a manuscript letter by Bulwer Lytton dated 1832.

Bulwer Lytton famously gave his name to the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest, “a whimsical literary competition that challenges entrants to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels.” Yes, he was the one who wrote “It was a dark and stormy night…” But he was not so bad as all that. He also wrote The Last Days of Pompeii. I see from Lorilee’s blog (below) that he was a student of the occult! A fascinating Victorian.

Here are the letter, a portrait of the author, and Mr. Kern’s bookplate with gilt inner dentelles on the luscious binding. This book was quite expensive, but I have never regretted buying it.

On Kern’s book collection see: http://www.americanheritage.com/content/greatest-book-sale

See how Hollywood interpreted Kern:

• Till The Clouds Roll By (myoldaddiction2.wordpress.com)
• Show Boat (myoldaddiction2.wordpress.com)

Related articles

• Politics, Literature, and the Occult in Britain and France (lorileeoates.wordpress.com)