Vintage paperback book cover of 'Too Late the Phalarope' by Alan Paton, featuring a brown wood-grain pattern background with a prominent orange and beige title block and a gold price sticker at the top.
A close-up of handwritten blue ink text on a beige paper background, reading 'Hambos People EM Thomas Vintage U289 $1.25 Kropf + Randa.
Copyright page showing the novel’s 1953 copyright and the paperback’s printing code.
A book back cover for 'Too Late the Phallopoe' from The Scriber Library series, published by Charles Scrubber. The cover features a tri-color design with a terracotta orange top section, a cream middle section with black text, and a dark red bottom section with the author's name and a small black-and-white illustration.
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Vintage paperback book cover of 'Too Late the Phalarope' by Alan Paton, featuring a brown wood-grain pattern background with a prominent orange and beige title block and a gold price sticker at the top.A close-up of handwritten blue ink text on a beige paper background, reading 'Hambos People EM Thomas Vintage U289 $1.25 Kropf + Randa.Copyright page showing the novel’s 1953 copyright and the paperback’s printing code.A book back cover for 'Too Late the Phallopoe' from The Scriber Library series, published by Charles Scrubber. The cover features a tri-color design with a terracotta orange top section, a cream middle section with black text, and a dark red bottom section with the author's name and a small black-and-white illustration.

Too Late the Phalarope by Alan Paton | Vintage Scribner Library Paperback

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Price:
$38.00

Description

Author: Alan Paton
Publisher: Charles Scribner’s Sons, Scribner Library
Place: New York
Year: Circa 1967 paperback; novel copyright 1953
Edition: Scribner Library edition; printing not established
Format: Paperback
Page Count: Not verified
Condition: Good vintage condition. Covers show age toning and wear along the edges and spine. An interior page bears handwritten notes that appear to be in Doane Perry’s hand.
Provenance: From the estate of Thomas Doane Perry III

Description: First published in 1953 during South Africa’s apartheid era, Too Late the Phalarope follows a police lieutenant whose private actions bring him into conflict with the laws he is sworn to uphold. Alan Paton, author of Cry, the Beloved Country, explores conscience, family, and the damage inflicted by racial division.

This vintage Scribner Library paperback appears to date from around 1967. It comes from the estate of Thomas Doane Perry III, an African studies educator and Peace Corps veteran. An interior page bears handwritten names and notes that appear to be in Perry’s hand. These are ownership notes, not an inscription by Alan Paton.

Why we love this book: Paton’s novel was written during apartheid, and this period paperback carries a connection to Perry’s African studies library. Its distinctive cover and handwritten notes give this copy a history of its own.