Hersey, Harold: The Dead Book. v1. 25 May 07

[tsgreer]

Here is a cool little short story by Harold Hersey. First published in the pulp mag "The Thrill Book," on July 15, 1919.

A 300 year-old monastery houses an even older hand-painted Bible rumored to have been delivered there by the Portuguese explorer Magellan in the 1500's.

The book is kept chained to a table. Oddly enough though, it's not locked up to prevent theft. Hmmm, now why would it be chained to a table, in a locked room? Read and find out. It's only about 20 pages (if on small print setting), so it's a quick little read. I really love these short stories because you can start and finish them in one sitting. Great for a lunch break at work or while waiting for someone.

Enjoy!

--P.S.--Ok, something about this story has bugged me and after re-reading it, I still can't quite figure it out. It stops rather abruptly. It's a good read up until that moment. One mystery is solved, another sorta opens up. I can't find any other sources of the text, so not sure if it's a sign of the pulp writing itself or the source. I'll keep up my searching and follow-up if I figure out anything.