The Drinker, Hans Fallada. 1952 1st Edition in Dust Jacket. Nazis, Alcoholism

Description: FALLADA, Hans. The Drinker. Trans. by Charlotte and A. L. Lloyd. London: Putnam. 1952. 8vo. First English language edition. Publisher's red cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the striking dust jacket designed by Klaus Meyer. An about very good copy, the cloth clean but the gilt dulled. Cloth extremities gently spotted and a trifle nibbled at, but the binding tight and square, with light marks to the textblock edges. The contents mostly fine but for some toning to the endpapers, and a couple of light handling marks. The dust jacket unclipped (12s 6d net) and complete, a little grubby, the spine tips and corners bumped with a few shallow chips and nicks, the joints rubbed and slightly chipped, the rear panel a little marked and the flaps toned, but nevertheless striking. A fascinating volume, not least for its highly unusual publication history. It was written in an encrypted notebook while he was incarcerated in a Nazi insane asylum. He'd made his publishers aware of the work and, upon his death, it was their duty to recover it, decrypt it, and publish it. Fallada was the pseudonym for Rudolf Ditzen whose early life was blighted by tragedy -- a serious horse accident at 16, typhoid at 17, and an attempted suicide pact by duel with his friend gone wrong, Ditzen surviving, his friend dying, and Ditzen charged with murder. He got off via insanity, and more tragedy awaited. The death of his brother during the First World War, and the loss of his baby at birth. It's no wonder, then, that he suffered with addiction to both alcohol and morphine, with the overbearing deathly shadow of National Socialism leaning over him. The novel is autobiographical and depicts one man's "hurtle into an abyss of degradation", condemning the reader "appalled but fascinated in the lurid outer courts of hell" [Manchester Guardian]. Scarce.

Price: 375 GBP

Location: York

End Time: 2024-10-15T17:35:21.000Z

Shipping Cost: 32.18 GBP

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Return policy details: Should you not be happy with your purchase, please contact me within 30 days of receipt of the item and I will offer a no quibble return. I take pride in accurately describing my items, but mistakes can sometimes happen. I do not normally offer partial refunds and prefer either you keep the item or a full refund is provided, but again, please contact me if you are unhappy.

Binding: Cloth

Non-Fiction Subject: Literature, Poetry & Criticism

Language: English

Special Attributes: 1st Edition, Dust Jacket

Author: Hans Fallada

Publisher: Putnam

Original/Facsimile: Original