SHOW ME DEATH! Walter Redvers Dent First Edition 1930 Raymond Knister Rare DJ!!

Description: SHOW ME DEATH! Dent, W. Redvers Published by Harpers & Brothers, New York, 1930 World War One novel that was ghost written by Canadian Poet /Author Raymond Knister who died shortly after this novel was published. RAYMOND KNISTER'S HAND IN W. R. DENTS "SHOW ME DEATH!" READERS OF RAYMOND KNISTER'S work have long been aware of his connection to a Canadian war novel called Show Me Death! by Walter Redvers Dent, but the precise nature of Knister's involvement has never been investigated and ascertained. Knister's only published statement regarding the book occurs in a letter to Lome Pierce quoted by Dorothy Livesay in her introduction to Knis228 OPINIONS & NOTES ter's Collected Poems. In enumerating his qualifications for an editorial post at the Ryerson Press, Knister noted that " [o] ne of the best and most popular war novels was rewritten completely by me — on a lump sum basis unfortunately."1 In light of this statement, Anne Burke, in her bibliography of Knister, merely states that "evidence indicating the degree of Knister's input [in the novel] is scanty."2 In the absence of any Dent papers, most particularly a manuscript of Show Me Death!, the exact nature and extent of Knister's involvement in the novel cannot be demonstrated.3 Certain surviving letters and documents, however, enable one to form a fairly accurate picture in general terms of the publication history of the book and of how Knister came to be associated with Dent. W. R. Dent is himself an obscure figure (Grove's prediction, that Dent "has done in that book of his what he can do [. . .] I do not believe that he will ever write another book worth printing,"4 was largely accurate) ; a brief biographical may therefore be helpful. Dent was born in Toronto in 1900, where he attended Humberside Collegiate. He left school at 15 or 16 to join the army, and served with the 5 th Battalion of the Canadian Mounted Rifles in 1916-17, and with the Siberian Expeditionary Force in 1918-19. After the war he attended St. Chad's College in Regina, from which he received a Licentiate in Theology in 1924. After his ordination the following year he served in several parishes in Canada until the publication of Show Me Death! in 1930.5 Dent himself stated that "when I wrote a book on world war one that had some nasty phrases in it, [I] thought I had better resign from the ministry and take up writing as a career, which I did and never regretted it."6 Thereafter Dent seems to have worked as a journalist; articles and stories by him were published in Maclean's and Saturday Night among other magazines. Following the Second World War he became editor of the British Columbia Financial Times. Dent claimed to "have had two million or more words published" during his career.7 On the evidence of the surviving correspondence, Dent seems to have submitted a manuscript called "Why Smitest Thou Me" to Macmillan of Canada in late 1928 or early 1929. It had been written, according to Thomas Murtha, in Medicine Hat during an illness.8 Dent acknowledged receipt of a contract for his novel in a letter to Macmillan dated 31 January 1929.0 Macmillan was also Raymond Knister's publisher, and apparently Knister was hired as a free-lance editor to work on Dent's manuscript. Dent, at any rate, noted in an undated letter to Macmillan: "I have not heard from Mr. Knister yet, but hope to do so any day now."10 Hugh Eayrs, the president of the Macmillan Company, wrote in reply to Dent's letter: "I am happy to say that the work of editing is going on nicely. No doubt Mr. Knister will be communicating with you."11 Knister

Price: 999.99 USD

Location: Utica, New York

End Time: 2024-10-11T18:07:37.000Z

Shipping Cost: 10 USD