= A rare copy of the first American edition (copyright 1932 with no mention of other printings, printed price $2.00 intact), the dustjacket in protective mylar lacking considerable portions at spine-ends (top: approx. 3 cm.; bottom: 1 cm.); (almost) torn on lower joint; chafed/ rubbed on jacket folds with loss of image; backwrapper partly vaguely soiled. The front- and backpanel of the jacket almost entirely intact. The book itself in unread, pristine condition.
First published in 1931, The Fortnight in September was the British writer’s first novel, though Sherriff was already known as the author of Journey’s End (1928), based on his experiences in the trenches in France, and is still today one of the most celebrated plays ever written about the First World War. This had been an unprecedented sell-out success in London’s West End for two years in the late 1920s, after which it moved to Broadway, where it was also a huge hit.
His debut novel The Fortnight in September was published in 1931 by Victor Gollancz and brought him considerable success with his readers, selling 20.000 copies a month. However, the book is excessively hard to find today in a first English or American edition, let alone with its dustjacket present. Lucy Scholes in The Paris Review on occasion of a new edition of the novel (September 2021): "No matter their circumstances, Sherriff’s characters remain steadfastly familiar, common or garden heroes (and villains). And it’s this that makes his novels so strangely enthralling. He writes without fanfare or affectation, but most importantly, with sympathy and compassion. However inconsequential, unambitious or even downright foolish they might appear to be, he treats his characters’ lives-their hopes and dreams, their fears and disgruntlements-with the greatest of respect."