To Have and Have Not [First Edition] by Hemingway, Ernest - 1937

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1937. First printing denoted by "A" and Scribner colophon at copyright. One of 10,130 printed by Scribner on October 15, 1937. Black full cloth boards, gilt embossed cover signature, crisp gilt spine titles w/several bands on sharp green fields, light shelf wear; protected in fine clear sleeve. Deckled page near fine, clean w/o writing; attractively toned. Antiquarian bookplate inside cover. Rather intriguing bookplate depicts caduceus or winged staff with two serpents twined round, several syringes or shots, beakers, etc.; in open scroll below this: "Fred Willey." Bind fine, square; hinges intact. Preserved in facsimile of original first edition dust wrapper, fine; protected in new clear sleeve. Bright jacket in bold black and white titles on gold background at front panel, and photo of Hemingway by Joris Ivens taken in Spain at back panel. Very attractive. Scarce near fine first printing well preserved in clear sleeve and fine facsimile wrapper. The dramatic and brutal story of Harry Morgan, an honest boat owner who is forced into running contraband between Cuba and Key West as a means of keeping his crumbling family financially afloat. His adventures lead him into the world of the wealthy and dissipated yachtsmen who swarm the region, and involve him in a strange and unlikely love affair. In this harshly realistic, yet oddly tender and wise novel, Hemingway perceptively delineates the personal struggles of both the "haves" and the "have nots" and creates one of the most subtle and moving portraits of a love affair in his oeuvre. In turn, funny and tragic, lively and poetic, remarkable in its emotional impact, and takes literary high adventure to a new level. Hemingway's classic served as the basis for the 1944 Howard Hawks film starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall in their first paired roles. Printed in the United States of America. 262 pages. Insured post.. First Edition. Hardcover. Fine/Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Book.