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THE DAWN'S DELAY

Kingsmill, Hugh

London: Elkin Matthews, 1924. First Edition. Hardcover. Collection of three novellas: “The End of the World,” a philosophical satire in which two intellectuals become convinced that the world is about to end, complete with imaginings of a solar system populated by other species; “Disintegration of a Politician,” (non-science fiction); and “W. J.,” set against the backdrop of a future war spanning the years 1966-72. 8vo, blue cloth boards.

Hugh Kingsmill Lunn (1889-1949) was a British writer best known as a biographer, critic, and satirist. Though far better remembered for his essays and literary portraits, he also ventured into fiction. Kingsmill moved in the wider literary circles surrounding H. G. Wells and maintained an acquaintance with him; he frequently satirized Wells’s ideas in his writing and even invokes him in “The End of the World,” the opening novella in The Dawn’s Delay. His sharp wit, skeptical style, and fascination with intellectual vanity seem to be recurring themes. Reportedly, Kingsmill published The Dawn’s Delay at his own expense. Boards slightly bowed, otherwsie very good in the rare original dust jacket. The jacket is extremely brittle, and both flaps and the rear panel have separated along the folds (the front flap was previously reattached with now-deteriorated tape on the verso). A small piece is missing at the crown of the spine, with additional minor nicks and chips along the edges, but the jacket remains largely intact, remarkable given its fragility and age.

Price: $350.00 save 15% $297.50