SHAMS;; or, Uncle Ben's Experiences with Hypocrites by Benjamin Morgan of Morganville, Blank County, NY
Philadelphia, Chicago, Kansas City, Oakland: H. J. Smith, 1889. Reprint. Large 8vo, pp. 412. Bound dark brown cloth stamped in black and gilt. Some light stained but a very good copy. Illustrated throughout with textual cuts. First issued in 1887 (see Wright III, 1646). Item #44273
Illinois, Illinois: "Uncle Benjamin Morgan and his wife Clarissa, upstanding citizens of Morganville, New York, philosophize and moralize on the sham of their neighbors and associates, exposing everyone from the over-zealous evangelist to the cheating livestock dealer to the protesting organist who must be coaxed to perform. When Benjamin and Clarissa seem to be running out of home folks to expose, they embark on an extended vacation to the West Coast, via Chicago. This gives them revitalization as well as an entirely new group of unscrupulous businessmen, scoundrels, and hypocrites with which to deal. Benjamin and Clarissa's naiveté lends good humor to an otherwise preachy and over-long novel, and their country ways offer a basis for comparison in describing the customs and society of Chicago and the other cities on their itinerary. "
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