The Careers of Bertram Barrington

First edition, first printing (and perhaps the only one). 312pp. Deep red cloth boards, black lettering to spine. 12mo. Cloth is soiled, rubbed at edges, rounded on corners and spine ends, with some minor fraying. Slight lean. Two previous owner’s names on slightly soiled front endpapers. Rear endpaper verso covered in densely written notes of a previous reader’s reflections on the novel and the value of a sense of humour. Some faint and occasional spotting. Norman Venner, one of the more talented comic writers of the early 20th century. His writings appeared, for instance, in anthologies alongside the likes of P G Wodehouse, and he produced several novels in the 1920s and 1930s, of which perhaps the best known now is The Imperfect Imposter. All his titles are hard to find now – this one perhaps more than others.