The Welsh Sonata ( Inscribed and dated by the author )

First printing. Printed by Derek Verschoyle, London in 1954. Clean text block and boards. Faint offsetting to the front and rear endpapers. The dustjacket has the faintest of soiling to the back but otherwise it is bright and fresh with no fading. The book has been signed and inscribed by the author in the year of publication. It is a little difficult to make out the dedication but it appears to be, 'For Katy and Burt Brutton with best wishes from James Hanley,' followed by a short rather indistinct quotation, then 'London 1954.' Not price-clipped. Publisher's price of 10s 6d. James Hanley was born into a seafaring family in Liverpool but spent much of his writing career living in Wales. This was in fact Hanley's first full length novel to be set in rural Wales following a number of books and short stories focusing on the lives of seamen and their families. It is told from the perspective of the Welsh characters, uses poetic language and has a 'Dylanesque' quality about it. Overall, a lovely copy of a fairly uncommon book especially with the author’s signed inscription.…