FORSTER, E. M. A Passage to India. London: Edward Arnold & Co., 1924.
First edition, first impression. Octavo. Original red cloth, upper board and spine lettered in black. Housed in a handsome custom red morocco-backed folding case, the spine lettered in gilt.
One of the landmark novels of the twentieth century, and Forster’s final, greatest and most culturally enduring work. Published in 1924, A Passage to India reshaped the literary treatment of empire, friendship and misunderstanding, bringing extraordinary psychological delicacy to the charged atmosphere of British India. Its central question - whether true human connection can survive the pressures of race, class, empire, religion and fear - gave the novel a force that has never faded.
Forster was one of the finest English novelists of the modern period, and his achievement lay in making private feeling carry immense public meaning. In A Room with a View, Howards End and above all A Passage to India, he turned tact, hesitation, sympathy and moral courage into art of the highest order. This was the novel for which he won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and it remains one of the essential books of modern English literature.
The dedication to Syed Ross Masood, Forster’s close friend and a profound personal influence on the book, gives the novel further resonance. At once political, spiritual and deeply human, A Passage to India became a defining cultural text, later reaching an even wider audience through David Lean’s celebrated film adaptation.
With a mounted signed slip to the front pastedown: the printed name “E. M. Forster” has been struck through and signed by Forster beneath.
The original red cloth remains attractive and characterful, with clear black lettering to the upper board and spine. The binding is firm, the text complete and well preserved, with the expected spotting and toning to the early leaves and preliminaries. No dust jacket.
A highly desirable signed example of Forster’s masterpiece, preserved in a handsome custom case.
