Title Notes 1940-1945

Adapted with permission from a bibliography of Dennis Wheatley by Mr R Humphreys, 2002

Published: January 1940. This is the first of Gregory Sallust's war-time adventures which were to prove phenomenally successful. This long book was written by Wheatley in just seven weeks.^(note 1)

Bound in black cloth, the dust-wrapper and end-papers were again designed by Diana Younger. Printed by Gainsborough Press.

454 pages plus 8 pages of advertising and a further 32 page catalogue at the rear.

Cr 8vo. 10/6. Undated.

Three Inquisitive People had been published for the first time in the omnibus Those Modern Musketeers in December 1939 and that edition should be considered its first. This single edition appeared in February 1940 in Hutchinson’s ‘Red Jacket’ edition titles. Printed by Mayflower Press.

It is bound in blue embossed cloth and runs to 288 pages.

The end-papers are brown. Cr 8vo. 2/-. Undated.

Published: June 1940 and continued Gregory Sallust's adventures in the war. Wheatley was determined to include all the major events of the war in Europe in this series.

Bound in black cloth. The dust-wrapper and end-papers were designed by Diana Younger. Printed by Anchor Press. 432 pages plus a further 7 pages of advertising. Wheatley also included a request that his readers vote on the subject of his next novel.^(note 2) Cr 8vo. 9/6. Undated.

Published: October 1940 and was the result of Wheatley’s readers’ overwhelming vote for another Sallust adventure.

Bound in black cloth, the dust-wrapper was designed by Diana Younger under her new married name of Diana le Poer Trenon. The end-papers are maps. Printed by Anchor Press.

386 pages with a further 12 pages of advertising and a catalogue of 40 pages bound in at the rear. Cr 8vo. 9/6. Undated.

Other: Bound in front of the dedication page of the earliest reprint so as to lie over the dedication to five (named) recipients of DW's early 'War Papers', here referred to as 'unpublished work', is an erratum slip containing two paragraphs printed above DW's signature.
The paragraphs read:
It has been brought to my attention that the words in the dedication "unpublished work" might possibly be thought to refer to the manuscript of this volume before it went to press.
I wish therefore to make it perfectly clear that none of the officers mentioned in the dedication saw the manuscript, that it was dedicated to them as a friendly gesture without their knowledge, and that they have no connection whatever with any of the opinions expressed in any portion of the book.
Whether this was brought about by complaints or for some other reason we do not know. But we do know that when dedicating his books, DW almost invariably sought permission first, so it was quite possibly the (unusual) imprecision of the wording rather than anything else which occasioned this addition.

Published: April 1941. This is Wheatley’s second excursion into the occult. Since the publication of The Devil Rides Out, Wheatley had been under pressure from his many readers to write another black magic story and this was the result.^(note 3) Wheatley felt that the book had been spoiled by the cuts he was forced to make owing to the war-time paper shortage.^(note 4) Printed by Anchor Press.

Bound in black cloth, the dust-wrapper was designed by Frank Papé and the end-papers are maps.

291 pages with 12 pages of advertisements bound in at the rear. Cr 8vo. 9/6. Undated.

Published: September 1941. The second outing for Julian Day. Following the publication of this book, Wheatley shelved the character until 1964.^(note 5)

Bound in black cloth, the dust-wrapper was designed by Abbey and the end-papers are maps. 292 pages with a further 12 pages of advertising. Printed by Anchor Press.

Cr 8vo. 9/6. Undated.

Published in December 1941. It was based in part on work that Wheatley had submitted to the Joint Planning Staff.^(note 6) Hutchinson produced it as a thin paperback with a run of 100,000 copies. Printed by Anchor Press.

82 pages. 12mo. 1/-. Undated.

Published in March 1942. It continues Gregory Sallust’s war escapades. By now Wheatley was finding it increasingly difficult to write owing to his work for the Joint Planning Staff and this was the last novel he wrote until the war in Europe was over.^(note 7) Printed by Anchor Press.

Bound in black cloth, the dust-wrapper was designed by Abbey and the end-papers are maps. 248 pages. Cr 8vo. 10/6. Undated.

Published in October 1942, it was intended to keep Wheatley’s name in the reading public’s mind whilst he was engaged in war work.^(note 8) It is a collection of short stories. Printed by Taylor, Garnett and Co. Ltd.

It is bound in black cloth. The dust-wrapper was designed by Abbey. It runs to 208 pages. Cr 8vo. 9/-. Undated.

Gunmen, Gallants and Ghosts ^(note 9) was published in June 1943. Another collection of short stories and other odds and ends that the author has put together. These included passages from his two biographies, Old Rowley and Red Eagle the type for which had been lost during the blitz on Plymouth. Printed by Taylor, Garnett and Co. Ltd.

Bound in black cloth, the dust-wrapper was designed by Abbey. It runs to 222 pages. Cr 8vo. 9/6. Undated.

Published in November 1945. Wheatley’s return to writing after his work on the Joint Planning Staff was over.^(note 10) Again, he returns to the theme of the lost civilisation in a story that is interesting but directionless. Printed by Gainsborough Press. Bound in black cloth. It runs to 288 pages. Cr 8vo. 10/6. Undated.