The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 18, No. 106, August, 1866: A Magazine of Literature, Science, Art, and Politics

In Short

This August 1866 issue of The Atlantic Monthly brings together an array of mid-nineteenth-century American perspectives, spanning natural history, psychological fiction, serial drama, travel writing, and literary criticism. Across its varied pages, contributors examine the possibility of harvesting spider silk, investigate unexplained telepathic visions, debate glacial theory in the Amazon, detail the frontier shift in Western mining towns, and follow the unraveling lives of fictional characters in serialized drama. Bound by a shared passion for intellectual inquiry, these varied pieces offer a vivid, preserved snapshot of a nation reflecting on its identity, landscape, and cultural ambitions.

The Story

The collection opens with a spirit of practical scientific curiosity as an observer detailedly outlines experiments conducted on South Carolina coast spiders. Driven by a desire to demonstrate the economic utility of spider silk to pragmatic minds, the narrator documents the delicate process of capturing sixty live specimens, housing them in small boxes, keeping them alive with bits of raw chicken liver, and attempting to reel thread directly from their living bodies using custom-built mechanical devices.

From the concrete mechanics of natural history, the journal shifts into psychological uncertainty with a narrative of mysterious perception. A speaker recalls childhood memories of a servant girl, Selphar, who enters trance states where she accurately perceives hidden physical objects—such as locating missing black gloves with brass buttons along a pitch-black night road—without using her physical vision, leaving those around her deeply bewildered.

The issue then turns toward global science and geological theory. A scientist traveling through South America evaluates the Amazonian landscape, arguing that its massive clay deposits stem from a ancient cosmic winter and a gigantic glacial sweep rather than river flow, despite the total absence of traditional rock scratches due to tropical erosion.

Personal eccentricity and narrative suspense follow. A self-proclaimed "maniac" defends his obsessive spending on elevated cultural pursuits over lucrative corporate investments despite the open ridicule of his family. Meanwhile, a suspenseful serialized narrative traces the unraveling domestic life of Griffith Gaunt and his wife, Mercy. Gripped by jealousy, secrets, and the sudden re-emergence of a bullet token tied to an old love named Kate, Griffith falls into deep despair and physical decline, culminating in a midnight cry for help and a gunshot echoing across a dark mere.

The issue closes with broad observations on society, history, and literature. Excerpts from old journals document encounters with historical figures like Robert Owen, visits to the Old Bailey courts, and military arsenals at Woolwich. Travel narratives capture the transformation of rugged frontier outposts like Virginia City from lawless mining camps into structured communities, while literary reviews evaluate new translations of European romantic fiction, completing a sweep across the nineteenth-century cultural horizon.

How It Unfolds

Extracting nature's thread An observer collects sixty rare spiders from South Carolina's coast, experimenting with live reel mechanisms and feeding them chicken liver in a bid to produce viable commercial spider silk.

Perceiving beyond sight A family witnesses their honest housemaid Selphar fall into strange trances, correctly identifying unseen intruders outside their home and pinpointing hidden items along pitch-black country roads.

Tracing ancient ice A geologist examines the vast Amazon basin, positing that its unstratified clay formations were carved by colossal ancient glaciers during a cosmic winter rather than shaped by river currents.

Confessing a noble madness A writer humorously describes his family's horror at his monomania, defending his choice to spend his fortune on artistic and educational endeavors instead of speculative oil wells.

Unraveling domestic peace Griffith Gaunt is confronted with a mystery token tied to his former love, triggering intense jealousy in his wife Mercy and driving him into emotional dejection and physical sickness.

Hearing a shot in the dark After a tense evening where an unwanted intruder visits the household, screams of "Murder!" and a gunshot echo from the nearby mere, alarming the household servants.

Observing a changing world Journals detail historical meetings with idealist Robert Owen, visits to British courtrooms, and the rapid evolution of Western mining camps into organized, civilized communities.

The People

• The Spider Collector: A determined, meticulous observer of natural life who seeks to prove the commercial and scientific value of spider silk by building reeling machines and keeping wild specimens alive through trial and error.
• Selphar: A simple, honest young housemaid who suffers from sudden, terrifying trances during which she demonstrates unexplained extrasensory perception, baffling her employers.
• The Amazonian Naturalist: A passionate theoretical scientist who analyzes tropical soil and topography to prove that massive ancient glaciers once covered the equatorial Amazon Valley.
• The "Maniac" Narrator: An eccentric lover of arts and letters who stubbornly pours his financial fortune into cultural institutions like Harvard's Alumni Hall despite the relentless mockery of his practical family.
• Griffith Gaunt: A troubled, guilty husband whose past secrets catch up to him, causing him to deteriorate emotionally and physically under his wife's watchful suspicions until tragedy strikes near the water.
• Mercy: Griffith’s observant and wounded wife who struggles between her devotion to her husband and her deep, growing mistrust upon discovering a mysterious token bearing another woman's name.

In Its Own Voice

"By preference these were stretched across the windows, illustrating one of the three principal instincts of this spider, which are, first, to seek the light; second, to ascend; and third, to take a position with the head downward."

An observer painstakingly records the innate behavioral tendencies of living spiders kept inside a domestic room.

"To read the story, you should have known my mother. To understand it, you should understand her."

A narrator reflects with haunting intimacy on a deceased mother while introducing a terrifying childhood mystery of human perception.

"The mere shone before her, and the cries were on the bank. Now came something more alarming still. A flash,--a pistol shot,--and an agonized voice cried loudly, 'Murder! Help! Murder!'"

A dramatic scene unfolds as a midnight crime breaks the quiet starlight above the water's edge.

What It's Really About

Underneath its varied entries, this collection explores the tension between human observation and the hidden forces of the world. Whether detailing the physical instincts of a spider, probing the unseen mechanics of a psychic trance, or reconstructing an ancient glacial era from plain clay, the writers share a deep obsession with uncovering invisible truths. The prose questions what constitutes value, progress, and sanity in a rapidly modernizing nineteenth-century society. It balances the practical demands of industry and settlement against the subtle, complex realms of human emotion, guilt, and artistic impulse, arguing that true understanding requires looking beyond surface appearances.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy historical periodicals, Victorian mystery, and classic natural science will find this issue fascinating. It offers a rare, direct look at mid-nineteenth-century American thought, delivering a reading experience that feels like stepping into a vibrant literary parlor filled with scientists, storytellers, and cultural critics. The prose flows with precision, warmth, and clarity, avoiding heavy jargon in favor of engaging narrative style.

Modern readers should be prepared for the distinctive pacing of nineteenth-century serial writing and essay formats, as well as period-specific attitudes toward frontier life, native populations, and traditional gender roles. The historical dialect captured in dialogue and the deliberate, detailed explanations of scientific experiments require patience. However, those willing to immerse themselves in its rhythmic prose will be rewarded with a rich, genuine slice of American cultural history, marked by timeless human curiosity, sharp observation, and compelling storytelling.