Mesmerism Proved True, and the Quarterly Reviewer Reviewed.
London: Thomas Bosworth, 1854. First Edition. Hardcover. Octavo. xii + 216pp + ipp advert. Original publisher's blind decorated cloth, gilt-lettered on spine. Written in response to an "Anti-mesmeric article in Quarterly Review", an extensive defense of mesmerism by Chauncy Hare Townshend (1798 – 1868) author of "Facts in Mesmerism" (1840). Townshend was an English clergyman, collector, and man-of-letters, who had a passionate interest in mesmerism / somnambulism. Townshend was well known in literary circles, being a good friend of Charles Dickens, whom he had met in 1840, through the well-known mesmerist and phrenologist Dr. John Elliotson (Dicken's subsequently dedicated "Great Expectations" to Townshend and acted as his literary executor). From the collection of Dr. M. H. Coleman, with his blind-stamped ex-libris seal on front free endpaper. Corners bumped and chafed, spine ends heavily chafed with some loss to lower spine and a bit of chipping to upper spine, short closed tear at upper rear gutter, bookshop sticker to front pastedown, page edges darkened, pages lightly toned with a bit of scattered foxing and browning. Overall a tight, clean VG copy. Scarce. Item #63005
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