Indianapolis: Carlon & Hollenbeck, 1892. Later (fourth?) printing (first published 1877). Octavo (20cm). Embossed cloth, titled in gilt; 212pp; frontispiece portrait. Mild rubbing to boards; still a tight, straight copy, internally clean, sound, and unmarked.

A popular temperance memoir, written from an Indiana sanitarium, describing a lifetime of abject slavery to alcoholism. Benson (1847-1898) recounts stretches during which he would consume a full gallon of whiskey every 24 hours; periods of sobriety would be followed by months-long binges during which "...my life was one long, hopeless, blank, black night." Benson finally turned to temperance lecturing in hopes of curing his addiction, but realized too late that the stress of touring and appearing before crowds was itself a strong inducement to drink. The memoir ends on a hopeful note, but the details of Benson's biography in the years following publication of his book are unclear - though it does appear he was still lecturing into the early 1890s, those lectures likely being where most copies of Fifteen Years in Hell were sold.

Reviews

(Log in or Create an Account first!)

Details

Bookseller: Lorne Bair Rare Books (US)
Bookseller's Inventory #: 61692
Title: Fifteen Years In Hell: an Autobiography
Author: BENSON, Luther
Book Condition: Used
Quantity Available: 1
Publisher: Carlon & Hollenbeck
Place of Publication: Indianapolis
Date Published: 1892
Bookseller catalogs: Temperance;

Terms of Sale

Lorne Bair Rare Books

All items are offered subject to prior sale. Orders must be prepaid, though billing may be arranged for institutions and customers with established credit. Payment may be made by Check, Money Order, Paypal or by valid credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover). Any item may be returned within 10 days of receipt for full refund. Signed and manuscript items carry an unlimited guarantee of authenticity.

About the Seller

Lorne Bair Rare Books

This seller has earned a 5 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.

Biblio member since 2006

Winchester, Virginia

Ask Seller a Question

About Lorne Bair Rare Books

Lorne Bair Rare Books specializes in books, mansuscripts, and printed ephemera relating to American Social History, with an emphasis on radical and utopian movements of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. We are available in our showroom by appointment, at shows, and on-line through various booksellers' sites or at our website www.lornebair.com.

Glossary

Glossary

Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:

Rubbing: Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
Octavo: Another of the terms referring to page or book size, octavo refers to a standard printer's sheet folded four times, producing...
Cloth: "Cloth-bound" generally refers to a hardcover book with cloth covering the outside of the book covers. The cloth is stretched...
Tight: Used to mean that the binding of a book has not been overly loosened by frequent use.