Set of 8 paperback books from the 1940s.

Nana by Emile Zola. Published by Pocket Books in 1941. Nana tells the story of Nana Coupeau's rise from streetwalker to high-class cocotte during the last three years of the French Second Empire. Nana first appears in the end of L'Assommoir (1877), another of Zola's Rougon-Macquart series, in which she is portrayed as the daughter of an abusive drunk; in the end, she is living in the streets and just beginning a life of prostitution. Pages are browning with age. Name written inside front cover, otherwise pages are clean. Cover has scuffing and plastic overlay is starting to lift. Cover is also slightly soiled.

Seventeen by Booth Tarkington. Published by Bantam Books in 1945. In this American classic, 17-year-old William is in the throes of first love. Lola Pratt, the object of his affection, is visiting her cousin in William's town for the summer. William finds obstacles at every turn in winning her affections, in the form of other suitors, a pesky little sister, and the necessity of the "perfect outfit".
With the pomposity of Frasier Crane and the soul of a poet, William attempts to win Miss Pratt's heart and to be the sole recipient of her charming "baby talk". Can William capture Miss Pratt's heart before she and her suitors drive the town crazy? Nobel Prize in Literature winner Booth Tarkington paints a hilarious picture full of warmth, teenage love, family politics, and the battle to "look cool". Pages are browning with age, but are in good condition. Cover has lots of scuffing, especially along the spines. Cover is also slightly soiled.

The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope. Published by Bantam Books in 1946. "The Prisoner of Zenda" is an adventure novel in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation, and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such, that, in order for the king to retain the crown, his coronation must proceed. Fortuitously, an English gentleman on holiday in Ruritania, who resembles the monarch, is persuaded to act as his political decoy, in effort to save the unstable political situation of the interregnum... Of course, complications along the way, plots and counter-plots will follow. Pages are browning with age, and have no writing except for gift inscription facing title page. Cover has some scuffing and some speckles.

Pastoral by Nevil Shute. Published by Pocket Books in 1946. This is a pastoral idyll of a bomber base! The bomber crew who are the central characters are ardent, though rather amateurish, fishermen, from the pilot captain down. Their enthusism has been one factor welding them into a team that has accomplished some fifty odd operations, virtually unscathed. Enter Gervase, homesick WAAF officer, who puts her job first but finds her heart won by the pilot's ingenuous admiration, and gives him 'the gate' - at cost to them both. A charmingly told tale of young love in the midst of war. Pages are brown with age. Outer edge of pages and cover got wet. There is some scuffing and soiling.

The Yukon Trail by William MacLeod Raine. Published by Pocket Books in 1948. A crisply entertaining love story in the land where might makes right. The story of two strong men – one a college graduate and football hero, the other a successful miner – and of the woman they both loved, in a country where might makes right. Pages are brown but in pretty good shape. Cover is in very good shape.

If Winter Comes by A. S. M. Hutchinson. Published by Pocket Books in 1947. Walter Pidgeon, Deborah Kerr and Angela Lansbury pictured on front. If Winter Comes follows the life of Mark Sabre from 1912 through 1919. The story takes place in an English suburb and focuses on the deterioration of Sabre’s marriage and career, in large part due to Sabre’s inability to adopt the worldview of the suburbanites, including his wife. Throughout the story, Sabre is reunited with his real love, the Lady Tybar, and deals with changes resulting from World War One. The book’s title comes from the last lines of Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Ode to the West Wind, “Oh Wind,/ If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” And, in much the same way that nature destroys and replenishes, so does Sabre’s life fall apart and reconstruct. Pages are brown with no writing. Spine is trying to pull away on first page. Spine is scuffed on outside there.

Without Armor by James Hilton. Published by Pocket Books in 1941. In an attempt to establish a career as a journalist (for which he has no aptitude) he travels to Russia to cover the Russo-Japanese war in 1903. Not particularly wanting to return to England he allows himself to be carried along by several acquaintances who give him the opportunity to extend his stay in Russia. Pages in good shape with a few speckles. Cover has some creases and scuffing. There is also a small stain on top of back cover.

Odd Man Out by F.L. Green. Published by Pocket Books in 1947. James Mason on front cover. An Irish Republican Army plot goes horribly wrong when its leader, Johnny Murtah, kills an innocent man and is himself gravely wounded. As the police close in on Johnny, his compatriots must make a daring bid to rescue him. Pages brown but in good shape. Cover has lots of scuffing. Half of spine is torn off and unreadable. Plastic overlay is starting to come up along edges.

Overall these books are still in fair condition for their age. Buy with confidence – every order ships with delivery confirmation tracking number. Fast FREE shipping from our non-smoking home. 2020AMA036mm