GREENE, Graham — In Search of a Character

New York: The Viking Press, 1962. In Search of a Character: Greene's African Journey GREENE, Graham. In Search of a Character. Two African Journals. New York: The Viking Press, [1962]. One of 600 advance copies.. specially designed for friends of the author and the publishers. Christmas 1961. Octavo (9 x 5 3/8 inches; 229 x 136 mm.). xvi, 93 [1, blank] pp. Publisher's quarter green buckram over green cockerel boards, spine lettered in gilt, tan endpapers printed in white. A fine copy in the original cellophane wrapper. A revealing and important work by Graham Greene, documenting his journeys through West and Central Africa in the late 1950s. These journals record Greene's travels in Sierra Leone and the Belgian Congo, undertaken in part as research for what would become A Burnt-Out Case (1961). Blending reportage, observation, and personal reflection, the text offers a vivid account of colonial Africa at a moment of political and social transition, while also illuminating Greene's creative process. This advance issue, privately distributed prior to publication, is particularly desirable, representing a small and select printing intended for Greene's circle and the publisher's associates. Such advance copies, especially in this well-preserved state and retaining the original wrapper, are increasingly uncommon. .