On November 8, 1924, The Ship of Ishtar by A. Merritt hit the stands. Drenched in blood, sex and the supernatural, nothing like it had ever seen print before in American popular culture. It was in instant classic that would go through twenty-plus printings and sell millions before the end of the twentieth century. The Ship of Ishtar proved to be immensely influential as well, having captured the imaginations of hundreds of significant authors, including Robert E. Howard (creator of Conan the Barbarian), Gary Gygax (co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons), and Michael Moorcock (author of Elric of Melniboné).

On November 8, 2024, DMR Books will release a special Centennial Edition of Merritt’s classic proto-sword-and-sorcery novel. This edition will include the author’s preferred text (which has only appeared in book form twice before), as well as nearly two dozen vintage illustrations and previously unpublished ephemera from the Merritt estate.

The Ship of Ishtar is the tale of John Kenton, who returned from the Great War a changed man. The world he knew had lost its zest; the one in which he could be happy he did not know where to find. But when he uncovered an artifact from ancient Babylon, he was transported to a new world beyond time and space: one which offered pain and the near certainty of a bloody death, but also brotherhood, vengeance, and the most entrancing woman he ever laid eyes on—Sharane, flame-haired priestess of Ishtar!

The cover art, painted by Gabriel Danilchik, depicts Kenton’s bloody battle for mastery of the ship with the priests of Nergal. The Centennial Edition of The Ship of Ishtar will be released in paperback and digital formats.