Publisher's Synopsis
Wander the magical world of the Valley of Fine Fleeces with a fascinating cast of characters. Meet Anna, keeper of both pagan flame and Cross; a Princess aflame for a strange lover; an Egyptian Priest, steward of the mysteries; Friar Paul, lean and sinister; and Saccabe the Black Goat, Father of Many Flocks. Above all you will encounter the mysterious Shepherd of supernatural radiance, among whose curls nestle two small soft horns. Events converge in the forest on Midsummer Eve at full moon and celebrants arrive with meat, bread and wine for the Feast. The Wise Ones recognise the Horned Shepherd as an ancient fertility god who should be sacrificed to enrich the land. The first issue of THE HORNED SHEPHERD, a novella, had a print run of only one hundred copies. The book was reissued in 1927 with the superb Wilfred Jones woodcuts, a perfect match of text and illustration, with secondhand copies now fetching up to £60. Every copy seemed to have an inscription by Jepson; his "hymn to Pan" may have been an author subsidised edition given as keepsakes. This new edition, available after decades of being out of print, offers readers who enjoy the supernatural a chance to catch up with this classic. This will be a favourite among those who love Edwardian fiction, occult mysteries and European pagan folklore.
