 William Morrow & Company 1st Edition |
William Heinemann 1st Edition
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William Morrow & Company 1st Edition |
William Heinemann 1st Edition
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"When Nevil Shute died in January, 1960, there existed among his papers two novels in manuscript - Stephen Morris and Pilotage - the first he ever wrote, both concerning a young aviator named Stephen Morris. With some cutting but no other modification of the original tests, these two novels have now been combined into a single integrated narative - for simultaneous publication on both sides of the Atlantic. Stephen Morris portrays an exciting period indeed - the era of struggle to establish an aircraft industry in England just after World War I. Added to the physical dangers of flight in those days was the further hazard of a dubious economic future, and only truly dedicated men like Morris accepted the challenge. The reader follows Morris through a time of joyriding and barnstorming on the south coast; the failure of the enterprises; the death of a close friend in a crack-up - until, finally, with Rawdon Aircraft, he secures a promising berth as designer and test pilot, and the relative security that permits him to marry. Still the call to daring, to constant experimentation, exists; and in the climactic episode of the story the reader participates with Morris in an attempt to prove the feasibility of long-distance flights over water. In a small flying boat he is catapulted off the deck of a freighter at sea - and sets out, hopefully, for land a thousand miles away.... Stephen Morris demonstrates a number of the qualities that won for Nevil Shute his vast, devoted audience - clean, suspenseful narrative; delight in the world of planes and ships; skill in conveying technical information to the layman with utmost clarity. And, just as in his auto-biography, Slide Rule, he writes of aviation here out of intimate personal experience and observation." |
| Stephen Morris was the first novel Nevil Shute completed, written during his first year with de Havilland Aircraft Company, but was shelved and published posthumously in 1961. |
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(1) The book's dust jacket cover should match the image shown at the left. (2) Unless the dust jacket has been price clipped, it should show the resale price of $3.95 on the upper inside front flap. (3) The copyright page shows a copyright date of 1961 but has no mention of a printing (such as first printing, first edition, etc...). (4) The book should show William Morrow consistently as the publisher. (5) The book cover is in cream colored/marble board, with a light blue cloth on the spine. The printing on the book spine is in darker blue. |
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(1) The book's dust jacket cover should match the image shown at the left. (2) A price of 16S is shown on the bottom of inside front flap. (3) The book is in blue cloth with gold printing on the spine. (4) The book should show " First published 1961" on the copyright/ publication page, with no additional printings indicated. (5) The book should indicate that it was printed in Great Britain by The Windmill Press Ltd, Kingswood, Surrey. |
| *The collecting tips on the The Nevil Shute Book Page website are only provided as a tool to assist in identifying the original publications of Nevil Shute titles. Several people have generously contributed information and images to enhance its appearance and accuracy, however, please keep in mind that this site will always be a work in progress and have the potential for error. Regardless of the author you collect, I would strongly recommend that consumers/collectors never rely solely on a single source for determining the value or status of their book, including this website. Always seek multiple reliable resources to evaluate your edition. |
