JAMES HANLEY'S PERSONAL COPY

Hanley, James (1901–1985)

Ebb and Flood [Author's Personal Copy from the Raeburn Archive]

London: Nicholson & Watson, 1944.
A survivor from the author’s own shelf, documenting his personal address in Wales and subsequently preserved within the archive of his friend and publisher, Ben Raeburn of Horizon Press.

This volume features Hanley’s handwritten ownership and return instructions on the front flyleaf. This brutally realistic narrative, centered on the struggles of docker boys in Liverpool and a complex mother-son relationship, remains a definitive example of Hanley’s uncompromising working-class prose. 

KEY FEATURES
+++ Binding: Original green cloth with gilt-stamped titles to the spine. Features the 'Book Production War Economy Standard' seal on the copyright page, a hallmark of mid-1940s British publishing.
+++ Imprint: Nicholson & Watson, London, 1944.
+++ Specs: 8.5 inches tall; [1-4] 5-192 pages. Uniform Edition.
+++ Limitation & Signatures: Transcribed on the front flyleaf in Hanley’s hand: 'Please return direct to James Hanley. "The Cottage" Llanfechain. Mont N. Wales. Gt. Britain'. Includes author's signature.
+++ Provenance: From the estate of Ben Raeburn (Horizon Press). Features the stamp of the 'Max Pfeffer Literary Agency' on the title page.
+++ Content: A raw character study of maritime and industrial life, exploring themes of isolation and the psychological turmoil of the Liverpool docks.

CONDITION: Good. The bindings are tight and square, holding the text block firmly. The green cloth shows handling wear and the spine is sun-faded, with some light rubbing to the extremities. The internal pages are clean and free of markings beyond the author’s ownership note, showing only light, even age-toning consistent with wartime paper stock. The dust jacket is age-toned with minor loss on the spine tips. Price is intact.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE —
James Hanley was a monumental figure in the literature of the sea and the working man, often compared to Faulkner and Conrad for his psychological depth. Ebb and Flood is a primary example of his ability to weave the physical grime of the Liverpool docks with the internal silence of his characters—most notably the deaf-and-dumb mother of the protagonist.

This copy is of particular bibliographical interest. Linnea Gibbs noted in her 1980 bibliography that 'James Hanley, himself, is not a collector of his work.' The discovery of a personal copy, clearly marked for return to his home at 'The Cottage' in Llanfechain, suggests this was a working volume or a personal reference copy he deemed necessary to protect.

The presence of the Max Pfeffer Agency stamp and its descent through the Raeburn estate highlights the professional machinery that kept Hanley's voice alive in America. Raeburn was more than a publisher to Hanley; he was a steward of his legacy, making the survival of this personal copy in Raeburn's archive a significant moment for Hanley scholarship.

SCHOLARLY FEATURES
+++ Association Copy: This volume provides a rare physical link to Hanley’s domestic life in Wales, documented by his handwritten return address.
+++ Socio-Historical Context: Captures the 'Uniform Edition' effort to keep Hanley’s bleak, realist work in print during the material shortages of World War II.
+++ Literary Influence: Hanley’s maritime and industrial focus serves as a bridge between early 20th-century naturalism and the 'angry young men' movement of the 1950s.

SUBJECTS: Working-Class Struggles, Liverpool Docks, Maritime Life, Irish Literature, British Literature, Ben Raeburn. Association Copy, First Edition Thus, Author's Library.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCE: Gibbs, A9d; English Catalogue (Dec. 1944).

Item #21930

Price: $365.00