The Reasonable Hope.

Burdekin (Katharine, also known as 'Murray Constantine')

Publication details: John Lane The Bodley Head,1924,

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$520.48

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Bookseller Notes

The second novel of an author better known by the pseudonym 'Murray Constantine', under which she published the novels 'Proud Man' and 'Swastika Night'.Like her debut, the present work is a study of creative genius, here admixed with the impact of the Great War (in which Burdekin had served as a V.A.D. nurse) - its protagonist is Billy Trenoweth, an artist who has suffered shell-shock.The gift inscription to the flyleaf, 'With love from Maurice, 10.11.66', is likely that of the author's brother - though it would, as the pasted obituary notice beneath clarifies, be a matter of days before his death; laid in, intriguingly, is a postcard, dated 6-5-69 from Knossos, sent from Olga & Juliet to 'Miss Burdekin' in Chelsea - though this post-dates the author's death, it is conceivably to one of her two daughters, Katharine Jayne and Helen Eugenie, a supposition corroborated by the family inscription.

Description

FIRST EDITION, some light foxing, a couple of leaves with crease at top corner, pp. [viii], 328, [4, ads], crown 8vo, original mid-blue cloth, the lettering and border to upper board and backstrip in a darker shade, backstrip a little faded, slight lean to spine, rubbed to extremities with a touch of wear, a couple of light marks, corners lightly bumped, top edge blue now faded, other edges roughtrimmed and a little spotted, bookseller ticket to front pastedown, obituary notice of Charles Maurice Dakeyne Cade taped to flyleaf (see below), good

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