author
Brother Jabez
Known mainly for a single early-1900s historical novel, this elusive author wrote under the name “Brother Jabez” and drew readers into the strange, spiritual world of Pennsylvania’s Ephrata community. The result is a book that blends religious history, romance, and a strong sense of place.
1 Audiobook
A Tale of the Kloster: A Romance of the German Mystics of the Cocalico
by Brother Jabez, Ulysses Sidney Koons
About the author
Very little biographical information appears to be firmly documented under the name Brother Jabez. What can be confirmed is that A Tale of the Kloster: A Romance of the German Mystics of the Cocalico was published in Philadelphia in 1904, with illustrations by Frank McKernan.
Library and ebook records connect Brother Jabez with Ulysses Sidney Koons, suggesting that the name was used as a pseudonym or shared attribution. Project Gutenberg lists the work under both names, and other catalog-style sources do the same.
The novel is set around the Ephrata Cloister in Pennsylvania and explores the lives of German mystics in the eighteenth century. Even though the author remains somewhat mysterious, the book has lasted because of its unusual setting, its interest in American religious history, and its warm, story-driven approach to a little-known community.