L'Abisso delle Meraviglie

Catalog Note: "The Abyss of Wonders" by Perley Poore Sheehan This 1915 pulp fantasy-adventure serial follows John McGoff, a young man from the small American town of Hambleton who lives a double life. Raised by his grandmother with a mysterious red lacquered box and black ring inherited from his family's exotic past, McGoff secretly identifies as Shan Makaroff, a Siberian shaman. Through daily contact with Charley Ling, a Chinese laundryman, and Ivan, a Russian cobbler and former Siberian prisoner, McGoff absorbs knowledge of Chinese characters, Russian language, and tales of the Gobi Desert. He visualizes a golden-haired girl associated with the red box while attending school and later works in a machine shop. As McGoff's friendships with Ling and Ivan deepen beyond simple companionship toward something resembling discipleship, mysterious forces begin to align, suggesting the beginning of a prophesied adventure that will transform his secret inner world into reality.