Ebb and Flood [Irish Literature]

London: John Lane and the Bodley Head Ltd., 1932. First Edition, First Printing. [Trade]. Hardcover with Dust Jacket. Very Good/Near Fine.

Signed and inscribed by the author on the front free endpaper, "To Alan & Phyllis with every good wish. From James Hanley Aug. 18th, 1932".

Red cloth, spine lettered in gilt, top edge stained yellow; cloth spine sunned, edges lightly foxed creeping inside to leaves slightly. 12mo, 7.5 inches tall; 275 [4 adverts] pages. The Dust Jacket by Alan Odle with the price; has a hint of edgewear on the lower front, a vertical crease to front.. A brutally realistic story centered around the lives (truncated) of three docker boys in Liverpool, and the relationship between the oldest of the three boys and his deaf and dumb widowed mother.

Hanley, known for his stark and often grim portrayals of working-class life, explores themes of hardship, resilience, and inner conflict in Ebb and Flood. The novel, like much of his work, focuses on intense character studies and raw depictions of social realities.

Subjects: Working-Class Struggles; Isolation and Alienation; Psychological Turmoil; Family Dysfunction; Maritime and Industrial Life

Background Information:
Alan Elsden Odle was an English illustrator, remembered today as the husband of the English novelist Dorothy Richardson. His grotesque and subversive style was a precursor of surrealism. (Inventory #: 18979)