Books

London: William Heinemann Ltd, 1931. First Edition. First Impression, one of 1,200 copies. Octavo (19cm); maroon cloth, with titles stamped in gilt on spine, and decorative elements embossed onto front cover; [viii],300pp. Spine ends gently nudged, with a faint suggestion of foxing to a few preliminary and terminal leaves, else remarkably clean throughout; Near Fine, with the cloth quite even in color, and without the usual heavy wear. Lacking the rare dustjacket. An attractive copy of Greene's third novel, set toward the end of the First Carlist War. Unlike his first novel, Rumour at Nightfall was a critical and commercial failure, which Greene blamed on the influence of Joseph Conrad on his writing. "My second and third novels, The Name of Action and Rumour at Nightfall...can now be found, I am glad to think, only in secondhand bookshops at an exaggerated price, since some years after their publication I suppressed them. Both books are of a badness beyond the powers of criticism…

Set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, 'Rumour at Nightfall' is a story of love, betrayal, and the struggle for power. It follows the journey of a disillusioned British man who gets caught in the political intrigue and tumultuous landscape of 1930s Spain.

First editions published by William Heinemann in 1931 usually have a statement of 'First published' followed by the year on the copyright page, absence of additional printings or editions listed, and possibly a dust jacket featuring art contemporary to the time of publication.