Books of the Day: Adventures with Nevil Shute

Nevil Shute's American publisher has this work of his up on his Facebook page today:

“Adversity makes people better sometimes, makes them cleverer and tougher. It might happen with a country, just the same.”

--from "In the Wet"

"It is the wet season in the Australian outback. Drunk and delirious, an old ex-pilot known as “Pisspot Stevie” lies dying in a remote cabin in the Queensland bush. When a priest named Roger Hargreaves comes upon him, Stevie is smoking opium to relieve the pain of his last moments. The priest listens as Stevie, in an opium-fueled haze, begins to describe a very different life he once lived—not in the past, but decades in the future, as a mixed-race aviator who finds love and glory in service to the Queen. After Stevie’s death, as Hargreaves tries to sort dream from reality, he makes discoveries that cause him to wonder if he has been granted a glimpse beyond the veil. MORE here: http://knopfdoubleday.com/book/166589/in-the-wet/"

Henry Bemis is a Shute enthusiast as well. We’re pleased to offer three works of Shute’s.

An aeronautical engineer for over twenty years (he was known there by full name, Nevil Shute Norway), Shute (1899-1960) was a well-established author by the end of World War II. He emigrated to Australia in 1950 and lived there the rest of his life. He remains best known for his nuclear war novel, On The Beach; many of his books have been made into movies and television programs over the last fifty years.

Shute has proved a remarkably durable author, inspiring fans generation after generation. Vintage Books republished his 24 books in 2009, and maintains a Nevil Shute Page on Facebook; The Nevil Shute Norway Foundation burnishes his reputation online.

We have three first editions in stock:

Shute, Nevil, Ordeal (William Morrow, 1st. ed., 1st printing, 1939; published in the UK as What Happened to the Corbetts, 1938). An astonishingly prescient tale of life in Southampton, England, as war breaks out and night-after-night air raids begin. His home destroyed, Peter Corbett and his family hang on as best they can until cholera breaks out; fleeing into the countryside, they face new challenges trying to maintain their life together as the world seems to fall apart around them. Few have imagined the home consequences of war as well as Shute, whose sad, noble portrayal of people facing a certain end in On The Beach remains a classic. Octavo, dustjacket a bit chipped about the edges. Good condition. 280 pp. HBB price: $25.

Shute, Nevil, Vinland the Good (William Morrow, 1st ed., 1946). The famed Australian author of On The Beach turns his hand to drama with this modern retelling of Eric the Red, Leif Ericsson and the exploration of America in the form of a movie script. Hardcover, unclipped dust jacket with some wear and tear about the edges. The book itself in very good condition. Very rare. HBB price: $95.

Shute, Nevil, The Breaking Wave (William Morrow, 1st ed., 1st printing, 1955). LOC 55-6369. Originally published as Requiem for a Wren. A ripping yarn, as they used to say, from the author of On The Beach. This time, an Australian called Alan returns home after five years to find a family retainer, Jessie, has been found dead. Before her death, she destroyed all her papers, so all she is in repose is a name. Alan sets out to rediscover her life, and, in the process, finds his own. A solid, well-told tale. Octavo, dustjacket a bit chipped about the edges, slight forward lean. Good condition. 282 pp. HBB price: $25.

For more information about any listed book, or more photos, please contact Lindsay at henrybemisbookseller@gmail.com. Henry Bemis Books is also happy to entertain reasonable offers on items in inventory. Shipping is always free. #RareBooks #HenryBemisBooks #NevilShute