MANHOOD, H. A.
Gay Agony
London: Jonathan Cape, 1930
8vo., textured two-tone green and cream cloth, lettered in green to upper cover and backstrip, with publisher’s device to lower board; together in the publisher’s unclipped dustwrapper (7s. 6d. net), printed in black and red; pp. [vi], 7-298, [ii]; a near-fine copy, very faintly offset to endleaves, with upper edge a little dustsoiled; the dustwrapper lightly and evenly sunned along the spine; with a little shelfwear and repriced in pencil to front flap; a little nicked and chipped to upper edge, most so at spine head, still a very good copy, unrestored or taped, one of the nicer copies we have seen in recent years.
First edition, limited to 2000 numbered copies, this copy no. 339. With publisher’s postcard loosely laid-in.
H A Manhood had previously written Nightseed (1928) a story of supernatural short stories, before embarking on his first novel two years later. Gay Agony is the story of Micah, an engineer who falls for the landlady of a country inn. Manhood set many of his stories in the countryside, and was at the time a popular short story writer who ranked alongside such writers as Graham Greene and Dylan Thomas. Highly regarded by H. E. Bates, he fell into obscurity after becoming disillusioned with the editorial interference in his writing, and after 1935 never picked a pen up again. He lived for the remainder of his life in a converted railway carriage in Sussex, brewing his own cider. With other such titles as Crack Of Whips (1934) and Fierce And Gentle (1935), his stories gained somewhat of a cult following in the later half of the 20th century.
Scarce to find this particular title in such nice condition.
MANHOOD, H. A.
Gay Agony
London: Jonathan Cape, 1930
8vo., textured two-tone green and cream cloth, lettered in green to upper cover and backstrip, with publisher’s device to lower board; together in the publisher’s unclipped dustwrapper (7s. 6d. net), printed in black and red; pp. [vi], 7-298, [ii]; a near-fine copy, very faintly offset to endleaves, with upper edge a little dustsoiled; the dustwrapper lightly and evenly sunned along the spine; with a little shelfwear and repriced in pencil to front flap; a little nicked and chipped to upper edge, most so at spine head, still a very good copy, unrestored or taped, one of the nicer copies we have seen in recent years.
First edition, limited to 2000 numbered copies, this copy no. 339. With publisher’s postcard loosely laid-in.
H A Manhood had previously written Nightseed (1928) a story of supernatural short stories, before embarking on his first novel two years later. Gay Agony is the story of Micah, an engineer who falls for the landlady of a country inn. Manhood set many of his stories in the countryside, and was at the time a popular short story writer who ranked alongside such writers as Graham Greene and Dylan Thomas. Highly regarded by H. E. Bates, he fell into obscurity after becoming disillusioned with the editorial interference in his writing, and after 1935 never picked a pen up again. He lived for the remainder of his life in a converted railway carriage in Sussex, brewing his own cider. With other such titles as Crack Of Whips (1934) and Fierce And Gentle (1935), his stories gained somewhat of a cult following in the later half of the 20th century.
Scarce to find this particular title in such nice condition.
