Under the Volcano. by LOWRY, Malcolm - 1947

New York: Reynal & Hitchcock,, 1947. A little self-knowledge is a dangerous thing First edition, first printing, first issue jacket with "Advance Critical Acclaim" on the rear panel. Published on 19 February 1947, it precedes the UK edition, which was published on 1 September. This is the author's most famous work, which "was poorly received in Britain and soon remaindered, but was hailed as a work of genius in North America, becoming a best-seller" (ODNB). Lowry moved to Cuernavaca, Mexico, in 1936. The city and its surroundings feature prominently in the novel, which is inspired by the Mexican atmosphere, history, culture and dramatic landscape. "A dying Indian by the roadside, encountered during a bus journey, sparked Under the Volcano... a brilliant, multifaceted novel about the last day of Geoffrey Firmin, an alcoholic former British consul in Mexico. The setting - the Day of the Dead beneath Popocatépetl, with the Spanish Civil War approaching its tragic end - provided a rich mix of images and allusions which could be interpreted variously as a religious or political parable, a Faustian story, or an elaborate film scenario" (ibid.). Octavo. Original grey cloth, spine and front cover lettered in red. With dust jacket. Housed in a custom black cloth solander box. A fine copy in near-fine jacket, spine ends and corners nicked, faint foxing at head of rear panel and flaps, a sharp, fresh example.