DEAR LIFE. London: Michael Joseph, [1950]. Octavo, vignette title page illustration and endpaper illustrations by Ronald Searle, original pictorial tan cloth, front and spine panels stamped in red. First British edition. A novella about a young woman in a bombed-out house in London and her grim family life, culminating in a violent death. The author's stories appeared frequently in Edward J. O'Brien's annual anthology series, BEST BRITISH SHORT STORIES. The prolific Bates was primarily a writer of short stories and in this field he was highly regarded by David Garnett and Graham Greene, among others. His style has been traced to the influence of Conrad (and thus of Henry James) and Stephen Crane, but his subject matter is definitely British, concentrating on the lives and tragedies of rural workers, occasionally touching on the theme of madness. See Kunitz and Haycraft, Twentieth Century Authors, pp. 85-6. Hubin (1994), p. 55 (the only title by this author in Hubin). NCBEL IV 521. A fine copy in very good pictorial dust jacket (illustrated by Searle) with several closed tears and wear at edges, two internal tape mends, and clipped price. (#128181).
Price: $25.00
"First published ... 1950" on copyright page.