The Fall of Valor

New York: Rinehart & Co, 1946. 1st Edition 1st Printing. Hardcover. Good Plus/Good. First US edition, first printing. Hardback in dustwrapper. 19.5 × 13.5cm, 310pp. The Fall of Valor was arguably the first major American novel to deal openly with the theme of homosexuality. The novel is an unflinching portrayal of a marriage that has faded to a mere duty. John and Ethel Grandin take a summer vacation to Nantucket with the hope of recapturing the happiness they felt in the early days of their relationship. But instead the holiday blasts their marriage wider apart than ever when John falls hopelessly in love with a handsome marine captain. Condition: The book itself is in very good condition, with occasional and light spotted foxing but in strong readable condition. The dustwrapper is faded to the spine and edgeworn but has not been price-clipped and is now within a protective sleeve.