The Seventh Cross (1942)

The Seventh Cross, A Daring Novel About the Concentration Camps Written in Occupied France by a German-Jewish Refugee

Seghers, Anna, pseudonym of Reiling, Anna. The Seventh Cross. Boston: Little, Brown, 1942.

Octavo. Hardcover.  Early Printing.

Early printing of the first English translation of this controversial novel about concentration camp prisoners being chased by the Gestapo, written by German-Jewish author Anna Seghers in occupied France before she escaped to Mexico in 1940. The edition of this copy is unclear. While it lacks a dust jacket price suggesting that it is a book club edition, we have only been able to locate a 1943 Book of the Month Club edition. This copy lacks all of the typical Book of the Month Club markings including a dust jacket notation, a gutter number line on rear pages, or a slug to the rear board. We are confident that it is an early edition, but we do not feel comfortable calling it a true first. The imprint reads simply, "Published September 1942." The top edge is stained black, which is uncommon in book club editions. Thus, this book is either priced correctly as a book club edition or is a steal for a first. Tiny "E" written in red on front pastedown. Book fine, dust jacket near-fine with only a small tear, minor rubbing and toning to extremities.