From Popular Culture to Esoterica and More from Brian Cassidy, Bookseller

Item 49 is an unusual political tract from the early 19th century. The title is Memoir of the Northern Kingdom, Written A.D. 1872 by the Late Rev. Williamson Jahnsenykes LL.D. and Hon. Member of The Royal American Board of Literature, in Six Letters to His Son…Now First Published, Quebeck, A.D. 1901. There was no Northern Kingdom, no Rev. Williamson Jahnsenykes, no Royal American Board of Literature. It was not written in 1872, not published in 1901, not published in Quebec. The author was William Jenks, a professor and later longtime Massachusetts clergyman. It was published in Boston in 1808. However, Rev. Jenks almost made it to 1872, dying in 1866. Evidently, Jenks was displeased with the commercial policies of the Jefferson administration. So, he predicted the dire consequences that would result from those policies. He did so by creating letters supposedly written in 1872, at that time 64 years into the future, by a witness to those times, delivered to a son who finally had them published in the distant future year of 1901. Jenks' prediction shows that America has dissolved, and it's interesting to note that Jenks lived long enough to see such an event almost happen. However, in Jenks view, there is a northern kingdom, with a British prince, that includes Canada, New England, and the Northeast. A southern kingdom includes what would become the confederacy, a slaveholding nation tied to the French. The third nation is the last surviving republic, called "Illinois" and landlocked in the west. Bickering among its leaders leaves it a potential target for both of its neighbors. As membership in the "Royal American Board" and the "Quebeck" imprint implies, the supposed author resided in the northern kingdom. Cassidy notes that this may be the first speculative, futuristic American book, and might also be considered the first American work of science fiction, though it does not feature quite the futuristic technology often associated with the genre. $3,750.

Here is another odd title: Stories and Illustrations by Harley: Introduced by Allen Ginsburg. Evidently, Harley has misspelled poet Ginsberg's last name, but that is understandable. He was only nine years old. This is a work of illustrated poetry by the young Harley Flanagan, who would go on to sing and play with the '80s hardcore punk band Cro-Mags. How he evolved from poetry to thrash metal is unclear, but perhaps explained by an online posting of Flanagan's - "…in '77 I got the [Sex] Pistols' album when I was ten and that f***ked it all up for me." Apparently, Harley's mother was a hippie who had at one time lived on a farm with Ginsberg. The 1976 book is signed by both Ginsberg and Harley Flanagan, the latter in youthful handwriting. Item 27. $600.

You may reach Brian Cassidy, Bookseller, at 301-244-8868 or books@briancassidy.net. The website is www.briancassidy.net.

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From Popular Culture to Esoterica and More from Brian Cassidy, Bookseller

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From Popular Culture to Esoterica and More from Brian Cassidy, Bookseller

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