Man With Four Lives 1934 by William Joyce Cowen illustrated by Lynd Ward ~ First Edition ~ Novel of Canadian Soldier in WWI

Title: Man With Four Lives
 
Author: William Joyce Cowen
Illustrator: Lynd Ward

Description: First edition (with 'FR' emblem on copyright page). Crimson cloth boards with black lettering on front cover and spine. Small spot of wear to top edge of front board. Rear inner hinge has a small bit of biopredation. Light tide mark at foot of inner gutter. Interior is unmarked and generally clean. Illustrated by Lynd Ward (title page vignette, five illustrations including a two-page spread, and dust jacket design). p. 277. Dust jacket chipped at spine ends; small holes along fore-edge folds; spine is toned and has some water spots; general fading of color and a bit of soiling and surface wear; price clipped; in an archival mylar sleeve.  

A swift-moving mystery inflected with suspense and horror. Lauded by the New York Times, Man With Four Lives is a novel about a Canadian soldier in World War I, who mysteriously kills the same German officer three times, causing varying degrees of mental issues. Several years after the conclusion of the war he runs into him yet again while skiing in Switzerland.  

William Joyce Cowen (1885-1964), was a native of New York City. During the First World War, he served in the Canadian Cavalry Brigade and was decorated by King George for his actions at Cambrai in 1917. Following the war, in 1920, he was arrested and imprisoned in Russian Central Asia by the Bolsheviks under the suspicion of being a spy. After his release and return to the United States, he lived and worked as a writer in Los Angeles.

Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Very Good
Jacket Condition: Good

Publisher: Farrar & Rinehart
Place: New York
Year: 1934

Keywords: Lynd Ward, novel, Wold War I, soldiers, Canadian Expeditionary Force,