Rumour at Nightfall
Heinemann, 1931.
First edition. Original red cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and a blind-stamped vignette to upper cover, in remainder issue dustwrapper. A fine copy in very near fine dustwrapper with minor wear to spine head.
The author's third novel, which along with Brighton Rock and A Gun For Sale, are so infrequently encountered complete with dustwrapper in commerce, that they are regarded by collectors as almost unobtainable. The scarcity can be partially explained by the fact that Greene's previous novel, The Name of Action, was both a critical and commercial failure, leading his publishers to issue a small initial print run of the following novel. The publisher's reticence was well founded as Rumour also fell foul of the critics.
The dustwrapper of this copy, with the lower price of 3/6 and advert for Stamboul Train to the lower cover, bears all the hallmarks of a later jacket, however this book was famously never reprinted: so disgusted was Greene with the work, he forbad its reprinting, a prohibition now laid upon his estate until 2061. The jacket, whilst secondary, therefore makes this a genuine remainder issue of the first printing, issued in response to poor sales.
Stock ID: 44627
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