Rival Caesars: A Romance of Ambition, Love, and War

by Arthur Desmond, Ragnar Redbeard, Darrell W. Conder (Introduction)

Is it possible that the famous duel between Hamilton and Burr was part of a judgment against the two by a secret society they formed decades prior to create an American shadow government? This story, telling of the lives of two great rivals, lies somewhere between a Robert E. Howard pastiche and a Yankee version of Thomas Dixon Jr. Rival Caesars is a fantasy Revolutionary War tale by the man who penned the infamous philippic titled Might is Right.

Arthur Desmond, who wrote as Ragnar Redbeard, here uses the nom de guerre Desmond Dilg. Might is Right ends thus: "P.S. Book II will be issued when circumstances demand it." The 1903 novel Rival Caesars is that book.

Preceding his time as one of the earliest proponents of an American Nietzscheanism, Desmond was an Antipodean radical, fighting in the streets alongside anarcho-communists and trade unionists. He stood for election as a labor candidate and promoted Georgism to both Māori and Europeans in New Zealand and Australia. Fleeing the law, he settled in America among the Chicago bohemian scene, and his radicalism turned from collective rights to individualist might.

While Might is Right was intended as an awakening call for "mighty men of valor," Rival Caesars is the plan of action, plotted out under the guise of a historical romance. This novel is nothing short of a rallying cry to an American Caesar to claim their share of pelf, prominence, and prestige in the vein of Napoleon or Cecil Rhodes.

Incredibly rare for nearly a century, here, finally, is an accessible and beautifully designed paperback edition, with an authoritative introductory essay by Darrell W. Conder. While it will never be as infamous as its predecessor, Rival Caesars is the ultimate book by the man known as Ragnar Redbeard.

346 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1903

About the author

Arthur Desmond (c. 1859 – 23 January 1929), also known as Arthur Uing, Richard Thurland, Desmond Dilg and Gavin Gowrie, was a political activist, anarchist, socialist, poet and author. He lived for periods in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and England.

Desmond was born in either England or New Zealand. He entered the public record in 1884 as a parliamentary candidate in New Zealand, where he became known for his radical views and advocacy for the Māori leader Te Kooti. He moved to Sydney in 1894 and get involved with the Australian labour movement before moving to the United States.

Desmond is also believed to be the author of the political treatise Might Is Right, written under the pen name Ragnar Redbeard and printed 1896 in Chicago. The book is probably written as a parody and a satire of Social Darwinism, and espouses the beliefs that power, strength, and dominance would be the mark of a superior human being and that inherent human rights are nonexistent.

Reviews

[Shaun Phelps · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after reading Might is Right, which was written by Desmond under penname Ragnar Redbeard. I do not believe I would have found this book otherwise, though I am glad for the experience. This was a wonderful way to see the oft overwhelmingly offensive views from MiR in romantic action.

All of the content that was so offensive to be banned from the emotional shelves of Amazon.com is presented here as virtues within the lives of our founding fathers, with many natural consequences as a result. This book adds a lot of context for how Redbeard thought the world should work in MiR and makes it a lot more relevant in action. As for historical accuracy, Desmond artfully fills in many gaps. The history matches up well with what I remember from watching Burr vs Hamilton in Drunk History (tv show). This is to say, I'm no historian. I'm glad for this read, though, and am pleased with my experience.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a secret-society-esque view on the American Revolution and the Burr-Hamilton duel.