Description
Author: Christopher La Farge
Publisher: Coward-McCann, Inc.
Place: New York
Year: 1946
Edition: Book-of-the-Month Club Edition; September 1946 Dual Selection with George Orwell's Animal Farm
Format: Hardcover with original dust jacket
Page Count: 250 pages
Condition: Very Good hardcover in Good original dust jacket; jacket protected in removable archival Brodart covering
Description
Published in 1946, Christopher La Farge's The Sudden Guest is an atmospheric psychological novel set against the destructive New England hurricanes of 1938 and 1944.
The novel centers on an affluent, isolated woman at her Rhode Island coastal estate as an approaching hurricane forces an unexpected confrontation with outsiders—and ultimately with her own character. Contemporary reviewers recognized the novel as both a psychological character study and a parable, with the hurricanes providing a dramatic backdrop.
This copy has a particularly interesting publishing history: The Sudden Guest was selected by the Book-of-the-Month Club as its September 1946 dual selection with George Orwell's Animal Farm.
A handsome example of postwar American literary fiction, particularly appealing to collectors of vintage fiction, New England literature, psychological novels, hurricane and disaster fiction, and Book-of-the-Month Club history.
Condition
Very Good hardcover with original 1946 dust jacket. The jacket shows age-related rubbing, surface wear, small chips and edge wear, as shown in the photographs, but remains substantially complete and retains its striking original typography and design. Interior pages appear clean and well preserved for their age. Binding should be described as tight if you've checked it and it is. The original dust jacket will be protected in a removable archival Brodart cover.
Why We Love This Book
Beyond its wonderful 1940s jacket design, The Sudden Guest has an unusual place in American publishing history. In September 1946, Book-of-the-Month Club readers received it as the dual selection with a book that would become one of the century's classics—George Orwell's Animal Farm. Its Rhode Island hurricane setting and psychological tension make this a fascinating survivor from the literary culture of postwar America.