Self
Penguin 1st Edition, published 1938.
In 1922 Chatto and Windus publishers offered Beverley Nichols’ new novel, Self, for sale.[1] Nichols, a recent graduate and a gregarious homosexual, wrote his new book as he put it, “‘purely as an experiment, and with the idea of being “popular’”. This emphasis on appealing to a mass audience was problematic for his publishers whose output was meant to be of a certain quality. The publisher saw itself as representing a higher literary standard than some of its rivals’. At Christmas 1921, Nichols finished the novel and wrote to a cousin, ‘“I hope it will be rather better than the last”’. In correspondence with Geoffrey Whitworth at Chatto and Windus Nichols wrote:
With regard to my other novel “Self”, I rather doubt whether it is the type of thing you would wish to publish […] It is more a Herbert Jenkins book than anything else.
Nichols’ reference to Herbert Jenkins is to the publishing house that produced P. G. Wodehouse[6] and considered by Nichols to be the home of mass-produced, disposable fiction. Presumably he saw his novel of sexual intrigue and blackmail as too melodramatic to be considered by Chattos.
Condition grading: Good. Some wear and damage to grubby spine. Pencil annotations to first inside page.Light foxing to front cover. Binding tight. The photographs form part of the description.
Penguin 1st Edition, published 1938.
In 1922 Chatto and Windus publishers offered Beverley Nichols’ new novel, Self, for sale.[1] Nichols, a recent graduate and a gregarious homosexual, wrote his new book as he put it, “‘purely as an experiment, and with the idea of being “popular’”. This emphasis on appealing to a mass audience was problematic for his publishers whose output was meant to be of a certain quality. The publisher saw itself as representing a higher literary standard than some of its rivals’. At Christmas 1921, Nichols finished the novel and wrote to a cousin, ‘“I hope it will be rather better than the last”’. In correspondence with Geoffrey Whitworth at Chatto and Windus Nichols wrote:
With regard to my other novel “Self”, I rather doubt whether it is the type of thing you would wish to publish […] It is more a Herbert Jenkins book than anything else.
Nichols’ reference to Herbert Jenkins is to the publishing house that produced P. G. Wodehouse[6] and considered by Nichols to be the home of mass-produced, disposable fiction. Presumably he saw his novel of sexual intrigue and blackmail as too melodramatic to be considered by Chattos.
Condition grading: Good. Some wear and damage to grubby spine. Pencil annotations to first inside page.Light foxing to front cover. Binding tight. The photographs form part of the description.
Penguin 1st Edition, published 1938.
In 1922 Chatto and Windus publishers offered Beverley Nichols’ new novel, Self, for sale.[1] Nichols, a recent graduate and a gregarious homosexual, wrote his new book as he put it, “‘purely as an experiment, and with the idea of being “popular’”. This emphasis on appealing to a mass audience was problematic for his publishers whose output was meant to be of a certain quality. The publisher saw itself as representing a higher literary standard than some of its rivals’. At Christmas 1921, Nichols finished the novel and wrote to a cousin, ‘“I hope it will be rather better than the last”’. In correspondence with Geoffrey Whitworth at Chatto and Windus Nichols wrote:
With regard to my other novel “Self”, I rather doubt whether it is the type of thing you would wish to publish […] It is more a Herbert Jenkins book than anything else.
Nichols’ reference to Herbert Jenkins is to the publishing house that produced P. G. Wodehouse[6] and considered by Nichols to be the home of mass-produced, disposable fiction. Presumably he saw his novel of sexual intrigue and blackmail as too melodramatic to be considered by Chattos.
Condition grading: Good. Some wear and damage to grubby spine. Pencil annotations to first inside page.Light foxing to front cover. Binding tight. The photographs form part of the description.
