{"product_id":"the-scorpions-robert-kelly-1st-uk-edition","title":"The Scorpions, Robert Kelly — 1st UK Edition","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e London, Calder and Boyars Ltd, 1969\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"7\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eFormatting:\u003c\/b\u003e 8vo, pp. 188.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCondition Report:\u003c\/b\u003e Very Good. The dark cloth binding remains impressively tight and square, showing negligible shelf-wear, while the gilt titling to the spine remains sharp, bright, and unoxidised. Internally, the pages are crisp, clean, and free from any egregious age-toning or previous ownership inscriptions, reflecting careful preservation. The unclipped dust jacket retains its striking, geometric vibrancy, exhibiting only minor edge-wear, faint surface rubbing to the rear panel, and a slight crease to the front flap, presenting beautifully overall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"9\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"9\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eCatalogue Note:\u003c\/b\u003e This is the First UK Edition of Robert Kelly's debut novel, published by Calder and Boyars in 1969 following its initial 1967 US release by Doubleday. The title page features a striking, esoteric diagram filled with astrological and alchemical symbols, reflecting the novel's thematic fixation on rituals and the occult.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"10\"\u003eAs a prominent poet stepping into prose, Kelly delivered a highly experimental narrative characteristic of the late-1960s literary avant-garde. Copies of this UK edition that retain their original, unclipped dust jackets in such well-preserved condition are becoming increasingly uncommon on the open market, making this an excellent acquisition for collectors of postmodern, countercultural, or surrealist fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"11\"\u003eA highly imaginative and surreal descent into paranoia, \u003ci data-path-to-node=\"11\" data-index-in-node=\"63\"\u003eThe Scorpions\u003c\/i\u003e follows the meticulously regimented life of an unnamed New York psychiatrist whose world is abruptly upended by a patient’s claims of an 'ultra-violet race' known as the Scorpions. Embarking on an obsessive, hallucinatory road trip to Fort Lauderdale in a heavily equipped, defensive Rolls-Royce named Kelvin, the protagonist is drawn into an aberrant American landscape of flesh-worshipping cults, left-wing eccentrics, and mysterious assassins. Blurring the line between reality and delusion, Kelly’s debut brilliantly subverts the psychological thriller, blending dark humour, Sadean eroticism, and esoteric philosophy to question the very nature of narrative and obsession.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Broadhursts Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54303281119571,"sku":"4481","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0960\/1469\/6787\/files\/20260623_155711.jpg?v=1784026864","url":"https:\/\/broadhurstsbooks.com\/products\/the-scorpions-robert-kelly-1st-uk-edition","provider":"Broadhursts Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}