THE DESTINY WALTZ.

London : Eyre & Spottiswoode, (1971). First edition. The recipient of the first ever Whitbread Novel of the Year award, her earlier novel "A Slanting Light" having taken the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1963. A novel framed around the making of a documentary on a forgotten Jewish poet (said to be based on Isaac Rosenberg). "We see not only human nature, often treacherous and fallible in action, but a panoramic view of English and Jewish life on many levels of society over the last fifty years". The present copy is inscribed by the author on the title-page, "To Martyn with warmest good wishes and thanks for everything, Gerda" - the recipient being bookseller Martyn Goff (1923-2015), architect of the Bedford Square Book Bang held that summer, and soon to become the driving force behind the Booker Prize. Demy 8vo (23cm). (430),[ii]pp. Original blue boards, lettered in silver; slight bruise at foot; some spotting of edges, but otherwise a very good copy in the purple dust-jacket - the jacket lightly sunned, with a hint of tanning, some mild edge-wear and a couple of slight scuffs, but still complete, bright and also very good.