Fragments of a manuscript or manuscripts written (circa 1835) by
"Oberon," a failed author known only by his pseudonym. According to a friend,
these fragments are all that remain of Oberon's attempt to "embody the
character of a fiend, as represented in our traditions and the written
records of witchcraft." Scholars now believe that the Great Salem
Fire of 1835 was in fact caused by some of the many burning fragments that
blew up the chimney on the night during which, in a state of maddened despair
brought on by his failure to succeed as a writer and exacerbated by his
consumption of considerable quantities of champagne, he made a successful
attempt to incinerate all of his remaining manuscripts. Bequest of
Jacquelyn Brown.
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