Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder by Waugh, Evelyn - 1945

London: Chapman and Hall, 1945 First edition, first printing. Publisher's red cloth, spine lettered in gilt; pictorial dust jacket, lettered in red, green decorations. A near fine copy, with a hint of wear to the spine ends, a few traces of light spotting to the boards, some minor toning the spine, fresh interior; unclipped dust jacket; unclipped dust jacket, with wear and minor chipping to the extremities, bright panels with only a few spots of light soiling, a hint of toning to the spine, small closed and gently repaired tear to the bottom edge of the rear panel. Overall, a clean and very attractive copy. Brideshead Revisited examines the wealthy Catholic Marchmain family through the eyes of their friend, the protagonist Charles Ryder. Each of the Marchmains contradicts Catholic behavior throughout the text, but ultimately accepts his or her faith by the novel's completion. Waugh, who converted to Catholicism in his adult years, describes Brideshead as "nothing less than an attempt to trace the workings of the divine purpose in a pagan world, in the lives of an English Catholic family, half-paganized themselves, in the world of 1923-1939." A satirical novel, Brideshead Revisited looks back on British society prior to the onset of World War II and "is not meant to be funny," but instead is intended for "those who look to the future with black forebodings and need more solid comfort than rosy memories.". 1st Edition. Hard Cover. Near Fine/Dust Jacket Included.