DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Spaceteer, issue 1, August 1947

Transcribe
Translate

Spaceteer, issue 1, August 1947

Page 6

SPACETEER Page 6
COLLECTORS CORNER
By Guerry Brown

THE FOX WOMAN By A. Merritt

This is the first of a series of unfinished Merrittmanuscripts that the New Collectors Group has planned to publish. To date, this is the only one that has appeared. The book is quite large sized, about 12" by 8". The title is lettered in gold on the front of the book. The book, itself, is bound in black cloth, which seems to be the ideal food for cockroaches, as they damaged my copy very badly. The cloth also attracts mildew. The book is printed in a very small type, which isn't exactly easy to read.

The story itself is quite different from anything else Merrit has written. Merritt, himself only started the outline, the beginning of the story; Hannes Bok did nearly all of the writing. The story is divided in two parts; The short first part, "The Fox Woman", by Merritt, and the long second part, "The Blue Pagoda", by Bok. The story starts in China, and later changes to America. It begins with a woman, who is being pursued by Chinese bandits. She comes upon this temple, set in the hills. On the steps leading up to the temple she sees a she-fox, and in a wild moment of despair, begs the fox to help her. The fox suddenly changes into a woman, and as the group of bandits appear, turns their leader mad, and drives them away. The woman, Joan Meredith becomes unconscious, and later awakes in the temple. She recognizes it as the Temple of the Foxes. There is also the priest, Yu Ch'ion. Her husband, with whom she had been traveling on the trip into Yunnan Province, had told her about him, long before. They also had his brother, Charles Meredith, come with them on the trip. He was jealous of Martin, and wanted his money (for Martin was quite rich), so he had arranged to have the group of outlaws attack and kill them. Jean was soon to have a baby, and her time had about come when the bandits attacked the party. Her baby is born in the temple, and she grows up there. Charles returns to America. Eighteen years later he is wired that she is coming to his house. How she arrives, and ultimately has her revenge on Meredith and his household takes up the second part of the book. The girl is a curious study in schizophrenia. At times, she is Jean Meredith, a beautiful, sweet white girl, and at times she is Yin Hu, the Fox Woman, Oriental and strange. Most of the time, she is Yin Hu. the son of one of Charles Meredith's retainers falls in love with the Jean Meredith side of her personality. He plays a major part in the story. One, where the Fox Woman causes a woman's wrap in a nightclub to become a live fox; another when she summons a whole collection of spirits. The pictures by Bok are really something (you'll know what I mean if you have a seen a copy!!). All in all, it's a really excellent fantasy, if you can obtain a copy. I do not believe that the book is now in print; however, you might be able to get a copy from someone, second hand. It is well worth getting.

THE END

Saving...

SPACETEER Page 6 COLLECTORS CORNER By Guerry Brown THE FOX WOMAN By A. Merritt This is the first of a series of unfinished Merrittmanuscripts that the New Collectors Group has planned to publish. To date, this is the only one that has appeared. The book is quite large sized, about 12" by 8". The title is lettered in gold on the front of the book. The book, itself, is bound in black cloth, which seems to be the ideal food for cockroaches, as they damaged my copy very badly. The cloth also attracts mildew. The book is printed in a very small type, which isn't exactly easy to read. The story itself is quite different from anything else Merrit has written. Merritt, himself only started the outline, the beginning of the story; Hannes Bok did nearly all of the writing. The story is divided in two parts; The short first part, "The Fox Woman", by Merritt, and the long second part, "The Blue Pagoda", by Bok. The story starts in China, and later changes to America. It begins with a woman, who is being pursued by Chinese bandits. She comes upon this temple, set in the hills. On the steps leading up to the temple she sees a she-fox, and in a wild moment of despair, begs the fox to help her. The fox suddenly changes into a woman, and as the group of bandits appear, turns their leader mad, and drives them away. The woman, Joan Meredith becomes unconscious, and later awakes in the temple. She recognizes it as the Temple of the Foxes. There is also the priest, Yu Ch'ion. Her husband, with whom she had been traveling on the trip into Yunnan Province, had told her about him, long before. They also had his brother, Charles Meredith, come with them on the trip. He was jealous of Martin, and wanted his money (for Martin was quite rich), so he had arranged to have the group of outlaws attack and kill them. Jean was soon to have a baby, and her time had about come when the bandits attacked the party. Her baby is born in the temple, and she grows up there. Charles returns to America. Eighteen years later he is wired that she is coming to his house. How she arrives, and ultimately has her revenge on Meredith and his household takes up the second part of the book. The girl is a curious study in schizophrenia. At times, she is Jean Meredith, a beautiful, sweet white girl, and at times she is Yin Hu, the Fox Woman, Oriental and strange. Most of the time, she is Yin Hu. the son of one of Charles Meredith's retainers falls in love with the Jean Meredith side of her personality. He plays a major part in the story. One, where the Fox Woman causes a woman's wrap in a nightclub to become a live fox; another when she summons a whole collection of spirits. The pictures by Bok are really something (you'll know what I mean if you have a seen a copy!!). All in all, it's a really excellent fantasy, if you can obtain a copy. I do not believe that the book is now in print; however, you might be able to get a copy from someone, second hand. It is well worth getting. THE END