Ernest Hemingway – Green Hills of Africa – First British Edition, Second Impression, April 1936 – Original Dustwrapper – Vita Sackville-West Review

HEMINGWAY, ERNEST. GREEN HILLS OF AFRICA. FIRST BRITISH EDITION, SECOND IMPRESSION, PUBLISHED IN APRIL 1936, THE SAME MONTH AS THE FIRST IMPRESSION. A FINE COPY IN THE ORIGINAL VERY GOOD JONATHAN CAPE DUSTWRAPPER, WITH A REVIEW BY VITA SACKVILLE-WEST ON THE REAR PANEL.

Author: Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961).

Publisher: Jonathan Cape, London, England.

Date: April 1936.

Edition: First British edition, second impression, published in the same month as the first impression.

Format: Octavo. Original publisher’s green cloth binding, with gilt lettering to the spine, in the original black, green and white typographical dustwrapper.

Pagination: 284 pages.

Special Features: The first British edition includes a printed dedicatory letter to Hemingway’s professional hunter, Philip Percival, absent from the original American edition. The original dustwrapper carries a substantial review of Death in the Afternoon by Vita Sackville-West, originally published in the Week-End Review.

Condition: Fine in a very good indeed original dustwrapper, with slight creasing, nicking and rubbing, and a closed tear to the lower corner of the front panel.

Stock Code: 004232.

Location: Bookroom.

Description

An exceptionally attractive early printing of Ernest Hemingway’s celebrated African travel narrative, Green Hills of Africa, published by Jonathan Cape in London in April 1936.

This is the first British edition, second impression, issued in the same month as the first impression, and retains its original, strikingly designed dustwrapper. The book itself is in fine, remarkably clean condition, while the original dustwrapper is very good indeed, with relatively minor wear and a closed tear to the lower corner of the front panel. Originally published in the United States by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1935, Green Hills of Africa records Hemingway’s experiences during a hunting expedition in East Africa in 1933–34. It is one of his most distinctive works of non-fiction, combining accounts of big-game hunting and the African landscape with reflections upon literature, artistic achievement, friendship, courage, death and the nature of experience. Rather than presenting a conventional travel narrative, Hemingway sought to create a literary work in which actual events and observations would possess the structural coherence and emotional intensity of fiction. The result is a fascinating combination of African travel writing, sporting literature, autobiography and literary criticism.

Green Hills of Africa: Hemingway’s African Safari of 1933–34

In December 1933, Ernest Hemingway travelled to East Africa with his second wife, Pauline Pfeiffer, embarking upon a hunting expedition that would provide the material for Green Hills of Africa. The expedition took him through the landscapes of what was then Tanganyika, now part of Tanzania, where he hunted under the guidance of experienced professional hunters, including Philip Percival. Hemingway’s fascination with hunting was closely connected to his wider preoccupation with courage, physical endurance, discipline and the confrontation with mortality. These themes had already appeared prominently in his fiction, particularly The Sun Also Rises and A Farewell to Arms. In Green Hills of Africa, they are explored through the experience of pursuing big game in the African wilderness. The narrative includes memorable descriptions of the landscape, wildlife, local guides and the physical and psychological demands of hunting. Hemingway’s observations extend far beyond the pursuit of animals. He reflects upon the literary achievements of other writers, the nature of artistic originality and the relationship between a writer’s personal experiences and creative work. The book is therefore particularly revealing as a document of Hemingway’s own literary philosophy during the 1930s.

It also reflects the attitudes and assumptions of European and American hunting culture during the colonial period, aspects that invite critical examination by modern readers. The work is important not only to collectors of Hemingway but also to those interested in African travel literature, sporting books and the history of twentieth-century literary modernism.

The Literary Significance of Green Hills of Africa

Green Hills of Africa occupies an unusual position within Hemingway’s literary career. Although based upon actual events, it possesses many of the structural and thematic characteristics associated with his fiction. The narrative is divided into four parts: Pursuit and Conversation, Pursuit Remembered, Pursuit and Failure and Pursuit as Happiness. This arrangement gives the book a deliberate literary structure, moving between immediate experience, recollection, disappointment and the pursuit of personal fulfilment. The work is notable for its extended discussions of literature and Hemingway’s assessments of contemporary and earlier writers. These passages offer valuable insights into his artistic ambitions and his understanding of what distinguishes enduring literature from merely fashionable writing. The book also demonstrates his ability to transform physical experience into prose of considerable intensity and precision. The landscape of East Africa becomes more than a backdrop to the hunting expedition: it is an essential element in the narrative’s exploration of beauty, danger, desire and loss.

Condition

Fine in a very good indeed original dustwrapper.

The original publisher’s green cloth binding is exceptionally clean and well preserved. The pages are fresh and clean, and the volume presents as a carefully preserved example. The original dustwrapper retains its striking black, green and white typographical design. There is some slight creasing, nicking and rubbing, together with a closed tear to the lower corner of the front panel, visible near the foot of the spine. There is minor wear at the extremities and some age-related discolouration to the rear panel. The original review by Vita Sackville-West remains clearly legible. A particularly attractive copy, with the fine condition of the book contrasting favourably with the modest wear to its original dustwrapper.

Why Buy From Hornseys?

Established in 1976, Hornseys is an independent, family-run antiquarian bookshop and gallery located in the historic cathedral city of Ripon, North Yorkshire. Celebrating fifty years in 2026, we specialise in carefully selected first editions, literary works, children’s books, illustrated books, maps, original photographs and historically significant ephemera. Our stock is individually examined and catalogued with particular attention to bibliographical detail, authenticity, condition and collecting significance.

Authenticity and Bibliographical Accuracy

Every book is assessed for edition, impression, original binding and dustwrapper. We distinguish first impressions from later printings and identify important differences between American and British editions. In the case of Green Hills of Africa, we have clearly identified this copy as the second impression of the first British edition, rather than describing it simply as a first edition.

Specialist Research

Our cataloguing is informed by bibliographical and historical research, with particular attention to publication history and literary associations. We aim to provide collectors with accurate, informative descriptions of the books we offer.

Condition Reporting

Every volume is examined carefully before sale. We describe relevant defects, including dustwrapper wear, fading, creasing, tears, ownership inscriptions and other features affecting condition.

Established Since 1976

Hornseys has been serving collectors for fifty years, developing a reputation for carefully selected stock, detailed descriptions and knowledgeable personal service.

Free UK Tracked Delivery

We provide free tracked delivery throughout the United Kingdom, with secure packaging appropriate to the value and condition of each book.

Fourteen-Day Unconditional Returns

We offer a fourteen-day unconditional returns policy. Please notify us within fourteen days of receipt if you wish to return an item. Returned books must be received in the same condition in which they were supplied.

Visit Hornseys

Our bookshop and gallery is situated at 3 Kirkgate, Ripon, North Yorkshire. We welcome enquiries from collectors of Ernest Hemingway, modern first editions and twentieth-century literature.

Hornseys – Established 1976. Fifty Years of Antiquarian Bookselling and Specialist Literary Collecting.