{"title":"Claude Houghton","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"i-am-jonathan-scrivener-paperback","title":"I Am Jonathan Scrivener - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"So remarkable in truth is this novel that I cannot understand why it is not universally known and admired.\" - Hugh Walpole \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"\u003ci\u003eI Am Jonathan Scrivener\u003c\/i\u003e remains a tantalizing, highly diverting philosophical novel of rare elegance and wit.\" - Michael Dirda \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e James Wrexham is thirty-nine, lonely, and stuck in a dead-end job when he comes upon an advertisement for a position as secretary to Mr. Jonathan Scrivener. Much to his surprise, he is hired at a lavish salary despite never even meeting Scrivener, and he is told to take up residence at once in the flat of his new employer, who has suddenly disappeared. Mystified by Scrivener's strange conduct and desperate to learn something about him, it seems Wrexham will get the answers he seeks when Scrivener's friends begin to visit the flat: Pauline Mandeville, an ethereal beauty, Francesca Bellamy, a widow who may responsible for the death of her husband, Andrew Middleton, a disillusioned alcoholic, and Antony Rivers, a handsome playboy. But as each of them unfolds his story about Scrivener, it seems that none of them are describing the same person, though all are obsessed with finding him. Why has he hired Wrexham, and why does he seem to have thrust this unlikely group of people together? Is Scrivener engaged in an inscrutable experiment, or could he be laying some kind of trap? And will this enigmatic figure ever appear and say, \"I am Jonathan Scrivener\"? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Popular in his time for his psychological thrillers, Claude Houghton (1889-1961) was admired by writers as diverse as P. G. Wodehouse, Henry Miller, Hugh Walpole, and Graham Greene, but has fallen into neglect in the past half-century. This new edition restores his masterpiece \u003ci\u003eI Am Jonathan Scrivener\u003c\/i\u003e (1930) to print and includes Walpole's introduction from the 1935 edition and an essay by Pulitzer Prize winning critic and Washington Post columnist Michael Dirda.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67576849498335,"sku":"9781939140081","price":34.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/Ymh5Xb4jTh9781939140081.webp?v=1790387480"},{"product_id":"this-was-ivor-trent-paperback","title":"This Was Ivor Trent - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"An extremely interesting novelist, and a genuinely original one.\" - J. B. Priestley \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"One of the most interesting and one of the most important novelists now writing in England.\" - Hugh Walpole \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"At his best, he writes as well as any living man.\" - L.A.G. Strong \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e One dark, foggy night, the eminent novelist Ivor Trent is on his way to a flat in a sordid London lodging house where he plans to begin work on his newest book, undisturbed by his friends, who all believe him to have gone abroad. On his way there, he glimpses a figure in the fog and is struck with terror when he realizes it is a man from the future. He collapses on the front step of the house, where the proprietor finds him, raving and delirious. Meanwhile, Arthur Rendell, a lonely widower who found solace in one of Trent's novels, determines to find out more about the writer and takes a room in the same house, where he meets Trent's friends, associates, and lovers. To Rosalie Vivian, Trent is a god; to Vera Thornton, he is a devil; to Denis Wrayburn, he heralds a new race of supermen. But who is Ivor Trent, really? And what is the explanation of the terrible vision he experienced in the fog? Rendell intends to find out, but he is unprepared for the devastating truth. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Expanding on the themes first explored in his masterpiece \u003ci\u003eI Am Jonathan Scrivener\u003c\/i\u003e (1930) (also available from Valancourt Books), \u003ci\u003eThis Was Ivor Trent\u003c\/i\u003e (1935) was a success in both England and America and was one of the best-known novels of Claude Houghton (1889-1961). Though admired by writers as diverse as P. G. Wodehouse, Henry Miller, J. B. Priestley, and Graham Greene, Houghton has fallen into neglect in the past half-century and awaits rediscovery by a new generation of readers. This edition is newly typeset from the first London edition and includes a new introduction by Mark Valentine.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67580394635487,"sku":"9781939140111","price":34.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/zDBJqOSOlb9781939140111.webp?v=1790423614"},{"product_id":"julian-grant-loses-his-way-valancourt-20th-century-classics-paperback","title":"Julian Grant Loses His Way (Valancourt 20th Century Classics) - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Claude Houghton's novels are always interesting . . . \u003ci\u003eJulian Grant Loses His Way\u003c\/i\u003e is the best book of his that I have read . . . Houghton's talent is at its best.\" - Graham Greene, \u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Fascinating, absorbing reading . . . an arresting book.\" - \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"He is an extremely interesting novelist, and a genuinely original one.\" - J. B. Priestley \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Shortly after dawn, Julian Grant finds himself in London, unsure of who he is or where he's been, but sensing vaguely that he is on his way to an appointment. Taking refuge in a café to collect his thoughts over a cocktail, he is suddenly beset by a series of scenes and images from his past: his monastic childhood, the dismal years in a dreary office job, his unexpected inheritance of a fortune, his cruelty to the women who have loved him. As he struggles to understand his situation and figure out who he is and where he is going, he tries to discover the truth behind his strange experience. Is he going mad? Is he asleep and somehow trapped in a surreal dreamworld? Or could there be some other, more chilling explanation for his disorientation and the disturbing visions to which he is being subjected? This first-ever reprint of Houghton's classic novel features a reproduction of its original jacket art. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Claude Houghton (1889-1961) won a cult following in the 1930s for his mystery and thriller novels featuring razor-sharp dialogue and unusual metaphysical themes, the best known of which is \u003ci\u003eI Am Jonathan Scrivener\u003c\/i\u003e (1930). Though praised by critics and widely admired by his fellow authors, including J. B. Priestley, Hugh Walpole, and Henry Miller, Houghton has fallen into neglect and deserves rediscovery as a key novelist of the interwar period in Great Britain. Several of Houghton's other novels are also available from Valancourt Books.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67775024529631,"sku":"9781941147467","price":34.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/baCpUId9qf9781941147467.webp?v=1790682651"},{"product_id":"i-am-jonathan-scrivener-paperback-1","title":"I Am Jonathan Scrivener - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"I Am Jonathan Scrivener\" is a compelling psychological mystery that explores the multifaceted nature of human identity. When James Wrexham accepts a position as the secretary to the wealthy and enigmatic Jonathan Scrivener, he enters a world of intrigue without ever having met his employer. Tasked with managing Scrivener's affairs and cataloging his extensive library, Wrexham soon becomes the focal point for a diverse group of Scrivener's friends and associates. Each individual possesses a vastly different perception of the mysterious man, revealing Scrivener to be a mirror reflecting their own desires, fears, and philosophies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Wrexham pieces together these conflicting portraits, \u003cb\u003eClaude Houghton\u003c\/b\u003e crafts a sophisticated narrative that transcends the traditional thriller. The novel delves into existential themes, questioning how well we can truly know another person-or ourselves. Set against the backdrop of post-World War I London, \"I Am Jonathan Scrivener\" is a masterclass in suspense and character development. It remains a significant work of early 20th-century literature, celebrated for its intellectual depth and its haunting investigation into the shadows of the human soul.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67921621221599,"sku":"9781025728469","price":35.93,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/A4Lcx3uuOD9781025728469.webp?v=1791125534"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/claude-houghton.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}