The Encounter

London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1951. Octavo. Bound in publisher's red cloth, with titles in black to spine. Front cover of dust wrapper shows abstract pattern in black, red, and white, with titles in white, likewise spine, rear cover shows publisher's advertisements for other titles; unprice-clipped, originally priced at 12s 6d. With wrap-around belly band and publisher's postcard. Binding is tight and attractive, with minor fraying to bottom front corner. Dust wrapper similarly good, with minor rubbing to edges. Tummy band is foxed, and slightly torn at front joint. The edges of the text block show some spotting, but this does not penetrate the margins. Internally clean and free from spotting. The only novel by Crawford Power was well received by critics, including Grahame Greene, and his positive review is quoted on the sash - 'it is a change to read a novel with a genuinely serious subject'. Despite this praise, Power appears to have become somewhat forgotten. The book centres on Father Cawder, a dejected priest who is punished by the Church for believing that the Church should have some separation from secular concerns. He is relegated to a run-down parish in the slums, where he encounters two down and outs - a carnival tout and his girlfriend - who are trying to dispose of an unwanted child. The blurb summarizes the novel in terms of 'understanding the human spirit', and suggests that it is 'about the love of God and the love of man'.