The Shining Pyramid (collection)/Introduction
Introduction
ARTHUR MACHEN, I am happy to say, still lives; wherefore, it is an impertinence for any lesser artist to introduce a collection of his writings. As I sit down to the task, it occurs to me that my predicament is much as would be that of, say, M. Maurice Leblanc, at "Arsene Lupin" celebrity, were he to attempt the introduction of a garner of tales: by Anatole France however well he might perform his labor of live, it would have the appearance of insolence. Yet, in the present instance, at least a word of explanation seems advisable, if only to absolve Mr. Machen from responsibility for the content of this volume, at a volume. He is responsible for the tales and sketches and essays, now for the first time brought together, because he wrote them; but for their appearance in the permanence of covers I alone am to be held to account.
This it not by any means to say that "The Shining Pyramid" is a collection of negligible writings, which the author himself did not see fit to resurrect from their comfortable graves in old periodicals. The fact is, the volume contains, in my opinion, some of Mr. Machen's finest work; it goes back, for the most part, however, to a period long past, and such have been the author’s excitements and vicissitudes since that time that neither opportunity nor desire has knocked upon his heart's door to bid him seek out and republish the scattered works of that earlier day. Discovering those lost writings, therefore, became nothing less than the duty of an ardent Macheniac; and it was a duty I was happy to accept. The collecting of the old magazines and catalogues which have gone into the making of the present miscellany has been for me a joyous adventure, and I believe the volume which is the inevitable result of my explorations will be warmly welcomed by those others—no longer just a handful—who feel as I do about the author of "Hieroglyphics" and "The Hill of Dreams." At any rate, here it is, and very pleased am I to associate my name with it.
Here are specimens, and admirable specimens, of the work of the three Arthur Machens, who, not to be lengthy about it, may be characterized as Machen the Saint, Machen the Sorcerer, and Machen the Critic. The discovery of as important a story as "The Shining Pyramid," typical as it is of the admired Machen of the eighteen-nineties and of "The House of Souls," I believe to be somewhat of a triumph; and not far behind it in point of interest ranks "Out of The Earth," which obviously belongs to the period that gave us "The Bowmen"—that is, the recent war period. "The Spagyrick Quest of Beroaldus Cosmopolita" antedates even the eighteen-nineties; it belongs to the period of "The Chronicle of Clemendy" and the Rabelaisian "Fantastic Tales." It was originally written as an introduction to a catalogue of books on alchemy and magic, issued by a London bookseller by whom the young Machen was then employed; and practically the same is true of "The Priest and the Barber," which was a tiny pamphlet issued by another bookseller to call attention to a collection of occult literature offered by him for sale. I believe that only four copies of the catalogue are known to be in existence, and four also of the pamphlet. "The Shining Pyramid" is from an old and long-dead journal, as are most of the other tales and sketches, although the journal in each case is not the same.
In "The Lost Club" and "A Wonderful Woman," the curious reader may, if he chooses, ponder upon the "beginnings" of a genius, for they are almost (if not quite) Arthur Machen's first attempts at fiction; and they plainly point the way toward "The Three Impostors." More interesting to the admirers of Mr. Machen, however, will be "In Convertendo," "The Hidden Mystery" and "The Martyr," all contributed years ago to the (London) Academy, and all patently a part of the superb chronicle which, in its final form, became "The Secret Glory." In "The Art of Dlckens," and in several of the other critical articles, there is a clear thought of "Hieroglyphics," only in these instances it is an afterthought, for that astonishing volume of criticism had been published for some years when the present articles were written. Finally, in "Sad, Happy Race," the curious will delight to find what is in large part a chapter of autobiography; for it will be remembered that Arthur Machen was for some years an actor in the Benson company. It should be added that "Drake's Drum," another "legend of the war," was contributed only a few years ago to the (London) Outlook, and is here reprinted by courteous permission; and that "The Capital Levy" is published for the first time from a manuscript in my possession.
To revert to my first paragraph: the only possible necessary introduction to the present collection is a bibliographical introduction; this now has been accomplished, and I shall stand no longer between Mr. Arthur Machen and his admirers.
Vincent Starrett.