The Dennis Wheatley 'Museum' - DW's Library

Dennis Wheatley's Library - modern first editions
Ernest Hemingway

DW’s copy of ‘A Farewell to Arms’ (1929)

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DW had the U.S. first and the U.K. first of ‘A Farewell to Arms’, Hemingway’s novel based on his experiences as an ambulance driver in World War One Italy, where he was seriously wounded.

The novel is generally accepted to have established Hemingway as a major American writer.

DW’s own assessment was :

‘This portrayal of the Italian defeat at Caporetto is excellent. The description of scene and characters are most vivid and the abrupt, repetitive dialogue very telling.’

DW’s copy of the U.S. first edition was offered in Blackwell’s catalogue for £80, and is currently (March 2017) being offered by Fagan Rare Books in the U.S.A. for US$ 3,500 (£2,800).

References : Officer and Temporary Gentleman, page 147
Phil Baker page 393

Provenance : With thanks to Sean Fagan Rare Books, Buford, GA, U.S.A.