First Printing of On the Beach, one from Shute’s early “Australian” group of stories from the 1950′s, the most well known of which to Americans are On the Beach and A Town Like Alice. Book is very near fine, none of the usual foxing, with a tiny smudge to paper edges. Hinges are strong and there are no markings. No dog-eared pages. There are no previous ownership inscriptions. Clipped, very bright dust jacket has light edge wear along top of front panel and spine edges. A 1/4 inch closed tear on the bright back panel. The front panel is bright, clean and unfaded. The spine is clean and unfaded. It is slightly rubbed at the head. The back panel is bright. Looks quite sharp in its protected wrapper.”Shute is not a Pollyanna; he does not believe that all people are good, but in general he focuses on the good and has his heroes fight circumstance, not other people. The result is the projection of benevolence and a sense of a profoundly civilized world” (The Objectivist Forum, Feb.,1985). Book #3402. $195. Many more Shute titles, signed, first and rare, available.
