Taking as its point of departure the alleged inaccuracy of the chronicles of Matthew Paris, "Hubert's Arthur" presents an alternative retelling of English history from the point of view of Hubert de Burgh. In Hubert's narrative, which begins with an account of the struggle for succession in the wake of King Richard Lionheart's death, young Duke Arthur of Brittany does not die at the hands of King John, but instead ascends to the throne. Hubert relates Arthur's adventures as he combats the wily John, fights in the Crusades, and wages battle against the treacherous Simon de Montfort, before facing perhaps his greatest challenge when his reign is threatened by the crucifixions of young Christian boys.

Penned by the brilliant but eccentric Frederick Rolfe (who styled himself Baron Corvo) whilst he was starving and homeless in a self-imposed exile in Venice, "Hubert's Arthur," first published posthumously in 1935, is one of the strangest and most remarkable novels of the twentieth century. Filled with action and suffused throughout with Rolfe's characteristic humor, the novel is notable for its blatant homoeroticism, its savage anti-Semitism, and its shockingly graphic violence. This edition features a new scholarly introduction by Kristin Mahoney, who also provides detailed annotations to help guide readers through Rolfe's labyrinth of historical and literary references and his unique vocabulary of archaic words, some of which have not been used since the sixteenth century.

"Mahoney's introduction to "Hubert's Arthur" is excellent advocacy for the virtues and importance of the work. With notes in the text up to this standard, the edition will not only contribute importantly to scholarship on Rolfe, but also help forge new understanding of the values of his age." - Prof. Edmund Miller, Long Island University

'If there be one place in all this orb of earth where a secret is a Secret, that place is a Roman Conclave' Part novel, part daydream, part diatribe, this strange masterpiece tells the story of George Arthur Rose, a poor, frustrated writer who lives in a shabby bedsit, saving his cigarette ends and eating soup - until one day he is made Pope. As the first English pontiff in five centuries, he is a mass of contradictions: infallible and petulant, humble and despotic. Yet Hadrian the Seventh is really a knowing self-portrait of its flamboyant author Baron Corvo, a would-be priest with aristocratic pretensions, and one of the greatest eccentrics of English literature.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Frederick Rolfe, who early in his career also published under the name "Baron Corvo," became famous for his "Hadrian the Seventh" (1904), in which an Englishman is unexpectedly elected Pope, and later became infamous for his writings on his love for Venetian boys. But it was with the "Toto" stories, first published in John Lane's fin de siecle literary journal "The Yellow Book," that Corvo achieved his first and most widespread authorial success. In these tales, an Italian peasant youth ingenuously recounts to his English master six poignant and often funny stories dealing with Heaven, saints, morality, and religion. First published in volume form in 1898 and long out of print, "Stories Toto Told Me" remains one of the most remarkable achievements of one of the strangest and most talented of English writers. This edition includes a new introduction and extensive annotations by Edmund Miller."

The mummy -- which is not less than nineteen hundred years old -- is that of a very handsome lad indeed, of about nineteen years of age, and most magnificently made. There is absolutely no trace of decay about it; and it looks as fresh and feels as soft (though of course it's cold) as the body of a young sleeper. Another curious thing about it is that it does not appear to have been eviscerated. . . .