Tales of a Dug-Out

London, E George & Sons Ltd, 1915. Very Good+. Hardcover. First Edition: 6.75 x 4.75 inches approx. Grey cloth boards with illustration to the front board, dark grey on lighter grey a scene from the trenches framed within a rectangular shape, underneath of the book title and author, printed letters to spine readable but a little worn, book in very good condition, a trace of background soiling a some edge wear, but generally very good indeed. Plain endpapers, no inscriptions, no foxing or marks. The book contains 14 stories written by a seasoned officer who had returned to the Forces after a 20 year absence and then had to be invalided home. Following the title page the Publisher's Note explains the author's predicament and then introduces a Competition where readers can win ú5 if they successfully identify which stories from the Contents are true. A sealed envelope had been supplied by the author containing the correct answers. The author is listed as an Officer of the "Die Hards' a nick name for the Middlesex Regiment during the Peninsular War. Entrants needed to send their entries by March 31st 1916 accompanied by 'the outside band of the book. ' It is emphasised that no correspondence would be entered into it seems that like so many competitions today the judges decision was final. Winners would be announced in the Press. The author was apparently a known writer on sporting matters but on this occasion he had agreed to be anonymous for the purposes of the competition. Some of the stories had originally been published elsewhere so the Morning Post, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, Truth, The World , The Regiment, Welldon's Journal are acknowledged for giving their permission. So far research to see the result of this competition has failed to reveal what the results when they would have been published in 1916. .