false 902287 4 Originally published in 1836.<br><br><i>Sheppard Lee, By Himself</i> is a work of dark satire from the early years of the American Republic. Published as an autobiography and praised by Edgar Allan Poe, this is the story of a young idler who goes in search of buried treasure and finds instead the power to transfer his soul into other men's bodies. What follows is one increasingly practiced body snatcher's picaresque journey through early American pursuits of happiness, as each new form Sheppard Lee assumes disappoints him anew while making him want more and more. When Lee's metempsychosis draws him into the marriage market, the money market, and the slave market, Bird's fable of American upward mobility takes a more sinister turn. Lee learns that everything in America, even virtue and vice, are interchangeable; everything is an object and has its price. <br> <br>Looking forward to Melville's <i>The Confidence-Man </i>and beyond that to William Burroughs&#8217;s <i>Naked Lunch</i>, this strange and compelling story is a penetrating critique of American life and values as well as a crucial addition to the canon of American literature. 887463 1836 Sheppard Lee, Written by Himself total:20|5:5|4:10|3:3|2:2|1:0| 20 78 60 4 5 0 false false Thu Jul 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 23:59:10 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 00:02:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Sep 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 20 13:12:44 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 08:24:59 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 14 18:38:57 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 14 18:45:02 -0700 2008 ]]> 3 0 false false Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 03 12:02:15 -0800 2008 Mon Mar 03 12:04:50 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Mon Nov 09 17:53:44 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 17:53:44 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Fri Oct 23 08:22:29 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 08:22:29 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 14 13:43:15 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 13:43:15 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Sep 30 18:42:57 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 01 14:51:12 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Sep 09 09:32:37 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 09:32:37 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Aug 21 15:45:18 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 15:45:23 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Aug 21 20:26:50 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 16:01:16 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 20:26:50 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Aug 08 11:27:41 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 08 11:31:28 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Jul 29 13:55:44 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 13:55:44 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jun 30 21:50:39 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 21:50:56 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jun 30 21:21:49 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 30 21:21:58 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Sep 26 18:21:28 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 17 01:29:34 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 26 18:21:28 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jun 13 14:54:54 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 14:54:54 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed May 27 15:17:20 -0700 2009 Wed May 27 15:17:20 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sun May 17 02:15:33 -0700 2009 Sun May 17 02:15:33 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri May 08 10:40:25 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 10:40:25 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=902287