MERRITT, A. (ABRAHAM GRACE MERRITT ) — The Ship of Ishtar

New York, NY: Avon Books, 1966. 4th Printing. Hardcover. Illustrated by Douglas Rosa. Cover Art; This is a mass market paperback book. The book is in Very Good- condition and was issued without a dust jacket. There is a very slight slant to the spine of the book. There is some light bumping, rubbing and wear to the spine ends and corners of the book cover. There is some creasing to the spine joints, light bumping and beginning nicking. The text pages are generaly clean and bright, but have some generalized very light toning. "His fiction, eight complete novels and a number of short stories, was only a sideline to his journalism career. One of the best-paid journalists of his era, Merritt made $25,000 per year by 1919, and at the end of his life was earning $100,000 yearly—exceptional sums for the period. His financial success allowed him to pursue world travel—he invested in real estate in Jamaica and Ecuador—and exotic hobbies, like cultivating orchids and plants linked to witchcraft and magic (monkshood, wolfbane, blue datura, peyote, and cannabis). He was described as a hypochondriac who talked endlessly about his medical symptoms, and showed eccentric behavior like a need to try out any food, tobacco and medicine he found on his coworkers desks." (from Wikipedia). Very Good- .