THE HOLE IN THE WALL. London: Methuen & Co., 1902. Octavo, pp. [i-vi] vii-viii [1] 2-348 + 40-page publisher's catalogue dated "August 1902" inserted at rear, original dark green cloth, front and spine panels stamped in gold, bottom edge untrimmed. First edition. Arthur Morrison (1863-1945) was born in the slums he wrote about and spent most of his life in London's notorious East End. THE HOLE IN THE WALL "is a dramatic and evocative novella that captures the corruption and brutality of life on the Thames waterfront. Morrison explores the friction between a young boy's innocence and the squalor of his surroundings ... It is this work the Morrison's obituary in the TIMES (5 December 1945) singles out as his best: 'a sustained effort crowded with incident, full of well-rounded character studies ... told with compelling quietness and objectivity.'" - Kemp, Mitchell and Trotter, Edwardian Fiction, pp. 190; 286. Hubin (1994), p. 587. Wolff 4944. Two tiny scuffs to the front cover, a bright, nearly fine copy. A lovely copy of a fairly scarce book. (#164537).
Price: $450.00
"First published in 1905" on copyright page.