THE LONG NOVEMBER

First published in 1946, The Long November enjoyed six different editions in nine years, making it one of the bestselling Canadian novels of the postwar period. Its last appearance, as a pirated paperback, speaks to its reputation as a gritty, raw, and ribald story that few publishers dared touch. The novel follows the story of Joe Mack, son of the grittier side of Cataract City, aka Niagara Falls, and his struggles to make something of himself, all for the love of well-to-do blonde beauty Steffie Gibson. It’s about rum running booze, Chicago beer trucks, Bay Street sharpshooters, the mines of Northern Ontario, and fighting the Nazis in Italy. It’s also about the many women who share Joe’s bed; but they mean nothing—it’s Steffie he wants. This new edition is the first in 67 years.

James Benson Nablo was a veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force who worked briefly for publishers in Toronto and New York. After the publication of The Long November, he made his way to Hollywood where he wrote for the studios. A Bullet for Joey (1955), starring Edward G. Robinson and George Raft, was one of four feature films adapted from his stories.