The Diamond Lens and Other Strange Tales

Fitz-James O'Brien lived only 33 years -- from 1828 till 1862 -- but in his brief life he left a mark that endures today. He published no novels, and the greatest volume of his work is fairly obscure poetry; and in this day and age when libraries are filled with books, not magazines, the total volume of his work would fill perhaps three, and certainly no more than four volumes. Collections of stories aren't especially popular fare: most writers who don't write novels fade fast. Fitz-James O'Brien endures because he was a remarkable writer. Remarkable indeed! He had a way of blending of hard fact with almost-fanciful fantasy, juxtaposing technology and mysticism, creating convincing and "scientific" settings that play against the otherworldly romance. For all the weird fancifulness - these days O'Brien is read mostly as a successor to Poe - his work has qualities we now associate with science fiction: O'Brien clearly researched the field of microscopy before he wrote "The Diamond Lens"; it reads in places like hard SF. And unlike a lot of literature from the period, his prose still feels modern and immediate. CONTENTS 1. The Demon of the Gibbet 2. The Diamond Lens 3. The Golden Ingot 4. The Child Who Loved a Grave 5. What Was It? A Mystery 6. My Wife's Tempter 7. The Wondersmith 8. How I Overcame My Gravity 9. The Legend of Easter Eggs Uwaga: "Rok wydania" jest de facto późniejszy (POD),jako wydawca figuruje Wildside Press - właściciel imprintu Borgo Press, zaś nazwa Borgo w książce nie występuje. "Borgo Press 2002" - to powszechnie występujące dane z opisu książki. (MSN)