Sidney Dark — The Man Who Would Not Be King

London, John Lane The Bodley Head, 1913. First edition. Cloth. The very scarce first edition of this dystopian work, by English journalist and author, Sidney Dark. The first edition of the work. Very scarce.Written by Sidney Dark, an English journalist and author. Dark was a prolific author, writing on a wide range of subjects, including a long period as the editor of The Church Times. The Man Who Would Not Be King is one of two novels by Dark, and describes a world in which a man is forced to command a utopian manufacturing plant, within which the employees live within a model community. The man finds it difficult to give up this role. The name is taken from Rudyard Kipling's satire 'The Man Who Would be King&apos.The dystopian narrative is framed by Dark's early rejection of fascism and his vocal anti-Semitism. An unusual dystopian work, written by early anti-fascist, Sidney Dark. In the publisher's original cloth binding. Externally generally smart with slight bumping to the extremities and the head and tail of the spine. The odd marks to the boards and fading to the spine. Contemporary ink inscription to front free endpaper. Internally firmly bound. Pages generally bright and clean with the odd spot and marginal age toning. Very Good . Ill.: None. Very Good .