THE KING'S GENERAL [First cheap edition]

Daphne du Maurier

Published by Victor Gollancz, London, 1949

About this Item

First impression of the first cheap edition - the fourth impression of the book published in 1949. The book was originally published in first edition in 1946. ***Very good in blue cloth-covered boards with gilt titles to the spine. The gilt is still quite bright. The boards are clean and unmarked. Top corners slightly bumped. No tears to the cloth. Internally also very good with a neat ownership name to the front free endpaper. Pages clean. No creases. No tears. Spine tight. ***In a very good original Gollancz yellow and black printed dustwrapper. The dustwrapper is priced 4/6 net on the spine and front panel. The dustwrapper is virtually complete, with just very small loss at the top and tail of the spine. Edges of dustwrapper slightly creased and rubbed. Spine of dustwrapper nice and bright, which is unusual for Gollancz dustwrappers. The back panel of the dustwrapper is also unusually clean. Edges of dustwrapper slightly browned and discoloured, as is usually found with Gollancz dustwrappers from this period, which were cheaply produced. ***298 pages plus one-page of acknowledgments at the back of the book. 190mm x 130mm. ***This is one of Daphne du Maurier's lesser known titles, and is probably her most enigmatic, chilling and dark novel. ***'"The King's General" was the first novel that Du Maurier wrote while living at Menabilly, the setting for her earlier novel "Rebecca", where it is called 'Manderley'. The writing of the novel was accompanied by prolific research, in which Du Maurier was assisted by Oenone Rashleigh, whose family owned Menabilly, and historian A. L. Rowse, to ensure the historical accuracy of her presentation of the Devon/Cornwall setting at the time of the Civil War. The historical precision and accuracy made it popular among local people, but the novel's reviews did not praise this aspect, which disappointed Du Maurier. The inspiration for the novel came from a discovery by William Rashleigh of a skeleton when involved in renovation work on the house. The skeleton was thought to belong to a Cavalier of the Civil War because of its clothing. "The King's General" was written shortly after the end of the Second World War, and reflects the influence of the war on family and romance. Honor's incapacity in the novel - represented by the nature of her crippling injuries which leave her housebound - has been suggested to represent an ambiguous message of the limited freedom for women in wartime. However this ignores the extended roles actually played by women during World War 2 in factories, on farms and taking over the roles usually performed by men at the time.' [Wiki] ***A first cheap edition, published at 4/6 in 1949, in the complete and original thin fragile dustwrapper, which was produced to post-war economy standards. Of interest to collectors of Daphne du Maurier's novels. ***For all our books, postage is charged at cost, allowing for packaging: any shipping rates indicated on ABE are an average only: we will reduce the P & P charge where appropriate - please contact us for postal rates for heavier books and sets etc. Seller Inventory # 7297

Bibliographic Details

Title: THE KING'S GENERAL [First cheap edition]

Publisher: Victor Gollancz, London

Publication Date: 1949

Binding: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good

Edition: First Edition