Baltimore, et al: Arthur R. Orton, (1855). First edition. 8vo. 11-13, 15-97, (5, ads) pp. Profusely illustrated with black and white engravings, by George T. Devereux. Contemporary wrappers (original illustrated wrappers wanting), soiled, extremities worn; all edges trimmed; scattered stains; heavy foxing throughout. Sabin 6052; Wright 253

Very rare first edition of one of the first fictional anti-Mormon pulp novels, satirizing the Church of the Latter Day Saints' practice of plural marriage in the 1850s.

The author, Alfreda Eva Bell, is believed to be a pseudonym for the publisher Arthur Orton. The story follows the character of Boadicea, a woman who marries a Mormon man in Utah, and is thrust into the world of polygamy. The sensationalized plot portrays Mormon society as violent, chaotic, and dysfunctional, with multiple characters being shot, stabbed, bludgeoned, poisoned, and more.

According to RBH, we cannot locate another copy at auction. OCLC locates only 12 copies, at Brigham Young University, Utah State University, Dartmouth University, University of Utah, Princeton University, Yale University, University of Virginia, Harvard University, the Newberry Library, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, the Denver Public Library, and The Huntington Library.