VENGEANCE OF THE CAT GODDESS

(New York): Avon, 1973. First edition. Very good plus.. First printing of the most adorable of all the Avon Satanic Gothics. A neurotic novelist-in-mourning, too delicate for a soul-crushing 9-5, finds herself in a Situation caring for seven sacred Egyptian cats in a Victorian mansion off the coast of Maine in this exquisitely wish-fulfilling entry into Avon's highly collectible, now rare, "Satanic Gothic" line. The "Satanic" in Satanic Gothic was more of a guideline than a rule rigidly adhered to, but Avon's specialty Baphomet-headed logo reliably indicated some manner of occult menace above and beyond the simple earthly murder-husbands sufficient unto the gothic needs of a gentler era. In the case of VENGEANCE OF THE CAT GODDESS, that menace comes from the threat of human sacrifice to the ancient gods: a lesson to all readers who don't already know that the perfect house-sitting situation is always too good to be true. "Jennifer Stephens" was a pseudonym of Kathleen Jenks, who put her Ph.D. in Religious Studies to good use in various teaching and research endeavors but never to greater effect than here. In the author's own words: "I decided to spin-off my Egyptian research into a novel that might bring in some extra money. I wrote it in ten days with Chopin playing non-stop to keep me in an eerie, 'gothic' mood. It was exhausting but also very satisfying." A jewel. 7'' x 4''. Original pictorial wrappers. All edges tinted red. 160 pages. Toning to spine and rear cover; spine creased with a slight lean.