About this Item
First printing of the first UK edition, published in an edition of 2,000 copies. Translated by John Rodker. Please note that this is a fair copy only - ex-library from the Express Lending Library & Bookshop. ***A fair copy in dark-green cloth-covered boards with red titles to the spine. The boards are heavily marked, faded and worn, particularly on the spine, but there are no significant tears to the fragile cloth. Top of page block darkened. No reading lean. Spine tight. Internally, the book is complete, but there is quite a lot of heavy staining and thumb marks affecting some of the pages. There are also some old violet ink library stamps on various pages. No serious creases or tears, and importantly all the text pages are present and complete. No dustwrapper. ***186mm x 130mm. 263 pages. ***'"Hell" (French: L'Enfer) is Henri Barbusse's second novel, written in 1908, in which the unnamed narrator spies on his fellow house guests through a peephole in his wall. The narrator, unmarried and friendless, books a room in a Paris boarding house. By chance he finds a hole in his wall, through which he can see the adjoining room and its inhabitants. From the other side, he witnesses lesbianism, adultery, incest, thievery, vicious proselytizing and death, musing to the reader on the philosophical implications of the events he witnesses. His voyeurism eventually convinces him to quit his room and find a fulfilling life of his own, but as he attempts to leave he is crippled with backache and blindness. "Hell" was notably popular and widely discussed in France, selling more than a hundred thousand copies in 1917 alone. Colin Wilson gave considerable attention to Barbusse's novel in his influential work "The Outsider". "L'Enfer" has been translated into English several times, first as "The Inferno" by Edward J. O'Brien for Boni and Liveright in 1918 in a heavily abridged form, then again as "Inferno" by John Rodker for Joiner & Steele in 1932, and then in full as "Hell" by Robert Baldick for Chapman and Hall in 1966.' (Wiki) ***Henri Barbusse (May 17, 1873 - August 30, 1935) was a French novelist and a member of the French Communist Party. He was a lifelong friend of Albert Einstein. Barbusse first came to fame with the publication of his novel "Le Feu" (translated by William Fitzwater Wray as Under Fire) in 1916, which was based on his experiences during World War I. By this time, Barbusse had become a pacifist, and his writing demonstrated his growing hatred of militarism. "Le Feu" drew criticism at the time for its harsh naturalism, but won the Prix Goncourt. ***A rare hardback first edition of Henri Barbusse's classic work "Inferno", in only fair condition, so a good reading copy. ***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 # 8620
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Bibliographic Details
Title: INFERNO (First UK edition - ex-library copy)
Publisher: Joiner & Steele, London
Publication Date: 1932
Binding: Original Wraps
Condition: Fair
Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
Edition: First UK Edition
