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Bridson (1910–1980), the distinguished radio producer and poet, was a close friend of Wyndham Lewis in the latter part of his life. He published a study of Lewis in 1972, entitled The Filibuster . He studied the present volume in that work: “The articles were not intended as an apology for Hitlerism so much as a plausible explanation for its sudden emergence”. Unfortunately, they “were hastily written, and very sketchily researched”, taking much propaganda at face value, and suggesting that Nazi antisemitism was a mere “racial red herring” and Hitler a “man of peace”. “Given the benefit of hindsight, all this sounds remarkably naïve. But one has to remember that precisely those arguments provided a basis for British foreign policy over the next eight years” ( The Filibuster , p. 101–2). In 1939, Lewis published The Hitler Cult , in which he reversed his previously favourable impression of Hitler; Lewis’s flirtation, however, permanently stained his reputation. Octavo. Original pale red and white cloth, titles to spine black, swastika to front board in black, top edge yellow. With dust jacket. Frontispiece and 7 plates. Light foxing else a fine copy, in very good jacket with slight shelf wear and tape reinforcement at verso extremities, slight toning to spine panel, price intact. ¶ Morrow & Lafourcade A13. £2,000 [153761] 62 LOOS, Anita. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. New York: Boni & Liveright, 1925 First edition, first impression, first issue (“Divine” for “Devine” on title page). The author’s classic satire of the Jazz Age was an instant bestseller and has serious Modernist credentials. It was hailed by Edith Wharton as “the great American Novel” and was selected by James Joyce for his daily designated reading time when he was half-blind and working on the first draft of Finnegans Wake (see Graham). The novel
was first adapted into a Broadway musical in 1949. It is the 1953 film adaptation, starring Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe, which is remembered as one of the greatest films of all time. Octavo. Original red cloth, lettering to spine and front cover in gilt. With dust jacket. Housed in a custom green cloth folding box. With black and white illustrations within the text by Ralph Barton. Extremities slightly rubbed, an excellent copy, with the dust jacket worn at extremities, spine toned, some marks to front cover, and occasional tears. ¶ Elyse Graham, “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”, The Modernism Lab , available online. £1,250 [152906]
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All items are fully described and photographed at peterharrington.co.uk
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