Great Science-Fiction & Fantasy Works

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A Strong Man Needed: Available Copies

8vo, 252pp, Boards are a bit sprung and spine is cocked, the end pages and a few other pages are slightly soiled and foxed. A good reading copy of Richardson's first novel. FAIR/--, Orange cloth covers soiled and stained, some foxing.

hardback, 8vo, 252,(4)pp, edges browned and slight foxing, text clean and sound, glued repair to front inner hinge, publisher's orange cloth, worn, Boots Librarty label residue on front board and rear endpaper, Fair condition / no dustwrapper

(no dust jacket) [solid reading copy, but no more, internally clean and firmly bound, but with much external wear: soiling to covers, some deterioration/fraying to cloth along hinges, slight exposure of boards at top and bottom corners]. The first novel by this English journalist and short-story writer, a rather self-consciously "madcap" satire centered around the Cadwallows, who in addition to being "one of the noblest and nuttiest families in England" are also teetering on the brink of impoverishment. Potential salvation from their financial plight arrives in the person of Miss Wilhelmina Harkaway, known as "Bill," a nine-foot-tall giantess who has been brought from Australia by the family's youngest son. She is readily adopted by the Cadwallow clan, and with the patronage of a wealthy (and even more eccentric) friend, a scheme is hatched to launch her on a prizefighting career, and thereby reap a fortune. (This isn't due to any discernible skill on her part in that regard, or even to any inherent combativeness in her nature -- she's really quite a nice young lady of nineteen -- but simply because, well, it's that kind of book.) Not surprisingly, her enormous size and commensurate strength permits her to defeat all challengers, and in no time at all she becomes a somewhat freakish celebrity, even at one point going on an American tour. The original jacket blurb promised "amazing swoops of cuckoo fun and general insanities, and at the same time grand satire and a healthy if absurd romance." The human-freak-boxing angle is of interest, as the author did a little amateur boxing himself as a young man and later garnered praise for a series of short fantasy stories about a "dwarf surrealist boxer" named Engelbrecht. NOISBN

First US edition. Originally published in the UK by Collins in 1931. Signed and dated in the year of publication by the author on the front free endpaper with a dedication to Archie Lyall. Archibald Lyall's attractive book plate is stuck to the front paste down. Archie Lyall was an interesting character who had both a writing and acting career among other exploits and is currently best remembered as a travel writer. The boards have a darkened spine and are a little discoloured in a few places on the front and rear panels. Browning to the page edges. Endpapers browned around the edges. The pages are e otherwise clean and unmarked. No jacket. First printing

[spine just a bit turned, small dent in top edge of front cover, minor fraying at spine ends; jacket bright and attractive in spite of a bit of irregular fading along the spine and a touch of creasing at top of spine]. The first novel by this English journalist and short-story writer, a rather self-consciously "madcap" satire: the jacket blurb promises "amazing swoops of cuckoo fun and general insanities, and at the same time grand satire and a healthy if absurd romance." The wackiness centers around the Cadwallows, who in addition to being "one of the noblest and nuttiest families in England" also happen to be teetering on the brink of impoverishment. Potential salvation from their financial plight arrives in the person of Miss Wilhelmina Harkaway, known as "Bill," a nine-foot-tall giantess who has been brought from Australia by the family's youngest son. She is readily adopted by the Cadwallow clan, and with the patronage of a wealthy (and even more eccentric) friend, a scheme is hatched to launch her on a prizefighting career, and thereby reap a fortune. (This isn't due to any discernible skill on her part in that regard, or even to any inherent combativeness in her nature -- she's really quite a nice young lady of nineteen -- but simply because, well, it's that kind of book.) Not surprisingly, her enormous size and commensurate strength permits her to defeat all challengers, and in no time at all she becomes a somewhat freakish celebrity, even at one point going on an American tour. The human-freak-boxing angle is of interest, as the author did a little amateur boxing himself as a young man and later garnered praise for a series of short fantasy stories about a "dwarf surrealist boxer" named Engelbrecht. [This item is featured in ReadInk's E-Catalog 3.1, which can be perused in full at our website. (Not everything in that catalog is listed on whatever site you're seeing this.)]

8vo, 252pp; orange cloth stamped in black. Author's first book, a satirical novel about an Australian giantess who is brought to England where she becomes a dominating force in the boxing ring. Richardson, himself a boxer, would go on to a long a career as a journalist, short story writer, and active participant in London's left-wing circles. Fine in a rubbed pictorial dust jacket with wear to the spine ends and a few small edge tears.

First Edition. 'This wild comedy concerns the fortunes of a giantess named Bill, who is imported from Australia' and becomes a boxing champion in England. Uncommon title. Near Fine, previous owner signature at front pastedown, in Very Good plus dustjacket, some shallow edge nicking.