Jacaranda in the Night

1947. First Edition. Hard Cover. Dust Jacket. Signed by Author. (Johannesburg, South Africa: A. P. B. Bookstore 1947). First South African Edition (and first worldwide). SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. Publisher's brown boards with black lettering to the front board and spine. Boards exceptionally bright and clean. Tip and tail of the spine softened and mildly faded (matching chips in the dustwrapper). From the collection of Havelock William Kinsey with his attractive bookplate to the front paste-down and signed by him to the front paste-down). Overall a near fine copy. Inscribed by the Author to the front free end-paper: "With compliments,/ H. C. Bosman/ 17/3/49" and additionally signed by him to the title page. In the VERY RARE DUSTWRAPPER which has been price-clipped to all 4 corners (not sure whether this was how it was published). The dustwrapper is in VG condition with shallow loss at the head and tail of the spine and to the bottom left hand corner of the back panel (not affecting any lettering). Havelock William Kinsey (1918-2012) was a founder member of the Military History Society of South Africa and wrote numerous articles for the Military History Journal. Herman Charles Bosman is perhaps South Africa's most-loved author. "For those with a taste for authenticity, lyrical brilliance, and raw, austere psychological observation: Jacaranda in the Night is an almost totally overlooked Cullinan-sized gem in English literature". "Jacaranda in the Night and Willemsdorf stand for me shoulder to shoulder with the novels of Flaubert and Nabokov, and way above the overhyped stuff from Hemingway and Fitzgerald" (from an Amazon review). Photographs/scans available upon request.