Explosion

London: John Murray. 1935.

First edition. Signed by Wren and with his bookplate. 8vo. 187x120mm. pp. 464, [4pp publisher's list]. Original red cloth lettered in gilt to upper cover and spine. Lacking the scarce dust jacket but the striking front cover of this has been pasted onto the front free endpaper. Fading and soiling to spine and some slight foxing but otherwise in excellent condition throughout. Front pastedown has the armorial bookplate of Wren which is signed by the author. The title page is stamped with the name "F.N.Ablewhite". Wren's purpose in this colonial adventure novel can perhaps be best summed up by reference to its dedication to the "Friends of India, the real India of three hundred million unrepresented peasants, whose sole "political aspirations" are that the peace, the security, the justice, and the protection provided by the British Raj may for ever remain to them undisturbed, unweakened and unchanged".